How is your potential employer funded?

Imagine this: a good friend calls you with a proposition. He’s starting a mid-sized multinational corporation involved with energy production; he wants you to become a Vice President with a nice fat salary and stock options.

The thing is, this friend of yours never had more than a couple of nickels to rub together as long as you can remember. Now he’s offering you a job – and a lucrative one at that.

What question pops into your head? Isn’t it: Where the heck did he get the money?

You ask; he answers. Play with each of the following potential responses to see how they would affect your enthusiasm for his offer.

Answer # 1: I never told anybody, but my Great-Aunt Ethel left me a bundle in trust. My investment people made some great moves when I was a kid, and now I’m loaded.

Answer # 2: Somebody wins the big lotteries, right? Well, guess who won the latest one?

Answer # 3: I stole it! Whoever said crime doesn’t pay didn’t have all the answers!

Without getting too far into political philosophy, ethics, and related topics, suffice it to say that the source of the financing for various organizations varies enormously. If the way your friend financed his start-up would matter to you, shouldn’t the same consideration apply to any other kind of work you’re considering?

I believe that your career will be affected significantly by the nature of the funding involved. Being as realistic as possible now about the possible tradeoffs involved will very likely reduce the possibility of conflict later.