Do you want to kick your career off to a good start? What type of department should you join when you’re looking for a job?
When it comes to having a successful career in which you can gain power quickly and consistently, making an informed decision on where to begin is vital. Jeffrey Pfeffer has advice for making a fresh start, whether for people beginning a career or transferring to a different company.
Let’s look at how to start a career and get into the department with the most power.
Finding Your Starting Point
First of all, whether you’re just starting a career or moving to a different company, Pfeffer says you should try to join the most powerful department within that organization. He also recommends looking at a few factors to determine which department holds the most sway in any given company:
Starting salary: Companies pay proportionately to how important they consider positions to be. So, if the salary for an entry-level job is higher for one department over another, the company is showing you which department it values more.
Location: The closer a department is to the people at the top of the company, the better. For instance, this might mean that a department’s floor is closer to the top of the building where the executive offices are, or that the building housing a department is closer to the company’s main headquarters.
The department head: The last clue Pfeffer discusses is the power of the department’s leader—the most powerful person within that department. If the head of the HR department also has a spot on the company’s executive board, for example, then you know that HR is a powerful department in that company. On the other hand, if a department head is still subordinate to the heads of many other departments, that will not be a valuable starting point for someone who’s looking to build as much power as possible.
(Shortform note: In addition to the factors Pfeffer lists, also consider which departments will make the best use of your natural interests and abilities—it doesn’t matter if you get into the most powerful department of a company if you’re not able to excel in your role there. A Harvard psychologist identified eight different types of intelligence and suggests that you honestly rate yourself in each of those eight categories to determine where your strengths lie. For example, you might have determined that finance is the most powerful department within the company you’re interested in, but if logical-mathematical intelligence is your weakest category, you’ll struggle to build power by working in finance.)
With all of this said, note that there will probably be more competition in more powerful departments, which could limit your ability to move up in the company. For example, if a company puts a high value on its finance department (and hires and pays accordingly), you’ll have to compete with a lot of people both to get the job and to advance within that department. Therefore, Pfeffer adds that in some cases it’s actually better to look for a job that has less power initially, but offers an easier climb up the corporate ladder.
(Shortform note: One effective way to gauge your advancement opportunities and the competition for them is simply to ask the hiring manager during an interview. Asking questions about possible career paths and what it takes to succeed in that department can actually help you leave a good impression on your interviewer. This is because such inquiries show that you’re confident in your abilities and interested in the company and your place in it, and that you’re hoping to work there long-term rather than just looking for a “right now” type of job.)
