Rap mogul and new father Kanye West is looking to hire a few key personnel for his new clothing line, and he’s turning to LinkedIn to find these lucky candidates. We’ll take a look at five questions to consider before applying to a job for a celebrity or the mom n’ pop on the corner.
(Photo Credit: Daniel Cruz Valle/Flickr)
The Kanye West clothing project promises to not be one of those deals where celebrities sell the rights to slap their name on a designer’s apparel, but rather, as the LinkedIn ad states, “this venture will have the power of Mr. West’s creative genius at the heart and soul of it.”
So, who exactly was Mr. West looking for to join his new project? There were two positions to be filled: Vice President of Production and Chief Financial Officer, but it seems that both positions have now been filled, according to the LinkedIn job postings indicating that no more applications are being accepted at this time. Bummer, we really wanted to hear back from The Yeezus genius himself. Maybe next time.
1. Are you qualified for the job?
We’re serious. Are you really qualified for the job or are you blindly applying and saying a Hail Mary afterwards? Don’t waste your time or the employer’s time trying your hand at a job that you’re either underqualified or overqualified for. Employers and recruiters won’t even give your candidacy a second thought if they see that you’re not qualified on a the most basic level for the job opening.
On the other hand, if you’re overqualified for the job, then, chances are, you will feel grateful for a paycheck in the beginning, but you will also soon become peeved with the work because you’ll feel overworked and underpaid for your credentials. Consider both sides of the “qualified” coin before pushing “Apply.”
2. Will you fit in to the company culture?
You will want to do some research to uncover some information about employee happiness, job satisfaction, turnover rate, and the like before you jump head first into a new opportunity. For example, if you’re not the type of person who dresses up in suits and ties every day, then don’t apply to a job/company that enforces a strict professional dress code and never honors casual Fridays.
Also, conduct a few searches on social media to see what type of people work at the company and see what their personalities are like. Do you share any interests or hobbies with the employees? Is the company into philanthropy like you are? Assess a job opportunity from a personal perspective as well because you want to actually enjoy your job, after all.
3. Is the pay sufficient/worth it?
As if you haven’t already considered this fact, it’s worth noting that most people who are unemployed will accept a job that pays significantly less than what they were making and/or are worth, often resulting in low morale on the new employees’ behalf. Therefore, stay away from taking on opportunities that require you to take a significant pay cut, unless you’re applying for a temporary job position to fill the employment gap and pay the bills.
4. Will you have to relocate?
Even the opportunity to work for Kanye West might not be worth it if you will have to relocate to a far-off land, so consider where the job requires you to live before signing you and your family’s lives away. Even if you don’t have to move to a new state or country, you’ll want to factor in the commute to wherever the opportunity requires you to travel to on a day-to-day basis because sitting in hours of traffic will also wear you down quickly and make you detest the new job. Try to be realistic and think about the long-term when you’re consider, applying to, and accepting new employment opportunities.
5. What are the hours and will you have to travel?
If you think working for a celebrity like Kanye West is going to be a 9-to-5 gig, then you’re obviously not cut out for the job. Typically, job postings will indicate if there are unusual hours required on a regular basis, and it’s always a good idea to ask the hiring manager about what to expect, so that you’re not caught off-guard when you sign up for a 40-hour work week and are stuck working 60+ hours per week instead.
Regardless of whether you’re applying for a job with Kanye West or a small start-up company, the five questions listed above are a great start to figure out if you’re a good fit for the company, and vice versa.
We can’t help but think that this could have just been an attempt to gain publicity for Mr. West’s third attempt at launching a clothing line, considering the first two goes at being a designer were complete duds (and a bit embarrassing). Guess we’ll just have to wait and see when Kanye’s line makes its way to shopping malls across the nation to see if third time’s a charm.
Tell Us What You Think
Do you think LinkedIn is a viable place for a celebrity like Kanye West to search for candidates? Share your thoughts on Twitter or in the comments section below.
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