What's the most important thing to look for when you take a new job? Many people say the money or the quality of the job. Some focus on the “brand name" of the company because they like the status it brings with it. Others look for career advancement potential.

All those things are important when deciding to accept a job. But there's something more.
When I took the most difficult course in my college career, I decided to form a study group. My professor, Dr. Arnold Glass, advised me to form a group where I was the least knowledgeable member. He said to invite only people who were smarter than me. “That's the only way you will learn more than you already know."

It might seem obvious, but to many people, it's not. People like to be perceived as talented and expert at their work. They want to be the best. But when you join a team where you are the best, who will you learn from? So forget about being king of the hill. Start at the bottom.

There's no better advice for your career: seek jobs where you can work not with people you can impress, but with people who can teach you more than you already know. If you're an employer, hire people who know more than you do. When you're interviewing for a job, ask to meet the expert on the team who knows more about the work than the manager. If there isn't anyone, you've just found a manager who won't hire anyone smarter than he is—and you've found a dead-end department. Otherwise, you've found a potential mentor.

Don't take a job because you can do it, but because you have to learn it. Take a job where others will challenge you. Start at the bottom. Find people who are better than you.


Ask the Headhunter is brought to you by Nick Corcodilos. Nick is a nationally recognized headhunter, speaker, and authority on job hunting, hiring, and career success. He is the author of the best-selling book, "Ask The Headhunter: Reinventing the Interview to Win the Job." Nick started headhunting in 1979 in Silicon Valley and has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Reader's Digest, Fast Company, on CNN, CNBC, and MSNBC.