Text 1 Isabel has turned down two joboffers in the past year. In 2006, she started her own consulting practice, butby 2008, most of her larger clients had to drop her because of the economy. In2011, she was undertaking irregular assignments and knew she needed a steadyjob. The first job she considered was Director of HR for a company in Utah.After the initial interviews, she felt the job fit her except for the location.Still, she flew west to meet the hiring manager. The hiring manager explainedthat Isabel was the top candidate for the job but that, before she continuedwith the process, she should better understand the firm's culture. She directedIsabel to several videos of the company's CEO, who regularly appeared in frontof the company in costume as part of morale building exercises and expected hissenior leaders to do the same. "Even though I was desperate for a job, Iknew I couldn't do that," Isabel says. She called the recruiter to turndown the job and explained that she didn't feel there was a cultural fit. A few months later, sheinterviewed for another job: a director of employee relations at a local university.After several interviews, the hiring manager told her the job was hers if shewanted it. The job had many positives : it was a low-stress environment, itoffered great benefits, and the university was an employee-friendly place. Butthe job was relatively junior despite the title and Isabel worried it wouldn'tbe challenging enough. Finally, she turned it down. "It would be great tohave a paycheck and great benefits but I would definitely have trouble sleepingat night," she says. In both cases, she was frank withthe hiring managers about why she wasn't taking the jobs."In the past, itfelt like dating, I was worried about hurting people's feelings," shesays. However, they appreciated her frankness and thanked her for her honesty.She says it was hard to turn down the jobs and it was a risk for herfinancially but she felt she had to.