Employment Research Institute's CEO A. Harrison Barnes in a webinar discussed the importance of doing your homework before setting off on any kind of enterprise, including taking up a job.

Drawing from his personal experience, Harrison relates his encounter with a specialized masseur. He hired her from Craigslist because she was the only masseur who had not posted obscene pictures on her advertisement. However, he was shocked when she came to his home to give him a massage and it became apparent that not only did she not know the particular massage – Rolfing – that Harrison wanted, she also used water instead of oil, leaving him in terrible pain. In the next session, because he insisted, she used oil but it was garlic olive oil. Harrison emerged from the session smelling like “a bowl of spaghetti”. His shower and home also smelt of the oil for days while he personally never seemed to be rid of the smell. Eventually he developed an aversion to garlic and even the thought of garlic gives him a headache now.

Learning from this, Harrison says he had overlooked warning signs back then itself: the masseur was located in the same place as hookers and that he did not conduct enough research before he hired her. Comparing this with your job search, Harrison says you should make sure you understand fully well what is required of you before you take the leap into your next job. Do not plunge into something as important as a new job before investing enough time in researching and learning more about the work required, the people you will work with, and the environment. Sound research is very important, even when you may be desperate to find work.