Today, we’re talking about how to increase your chance of choosing an employer who is a good fit for you.
I’m dividing this discussion into two parts: How to determine what qualities or characteristics are most important to you and what you can do to assess an employer.
What are you looking for?
There are no right or wrong answers here – what IS important is that you separate out your “non-negotiables” from your “gee – wouldn’t it be nice’s.”
What am I talking about? When I was applying for positions all over the U.S. back in 1999, I had spent the previous decade working in a literal fallout shelter. We were in the bottom level of the student union in a cement block structure with no windows. So – one of my “gee – wouldn’t it be nice” things was an office with windows.
In other words, not essential, like ice cream for an ice cream sundae. More like the whipped cream or the cherry.
What WAS a non-negotiable was campus support for the Career Center. I had worked too long with very little budget and practically no staff – coupled with a campus environment that didn’t appreciate or utilize the career center.
Here are some things that might be important to you:
-A particular industry
-A product or service you like, have utilized, respect
-A certain aspect in their mission statement/vision statement
-Whether it is a for-profit or nonprofit organization
-Revenues
-Number of employees
-Some aspect of the organization’s culture
-Geographic location of the company/where you would work
-Commute distance
-If hybrid, the % of each
-Amount of travel required
-The company’s reputation
-The company’s position in their industry
-The company’s phase – startup, etc.
-A certain quality of your direct supervisor
-The number – and possibly level – of the people you would supervise
-Your budget and staffing relative to what you are expected to accomplish
-Salary / bonus potential
-Benefits
-PTO
-The expectation for the actual workday/work week – what about weekends, evenings, etc.? How many hours every week?
-4-day workweek
-Opportunity for advancement
-Access/opportunity for training and professional development
This is not intended to be an exhaustive list.
Next, identify no more than 4-5 non-negotiables. You may even want to weigh them if one or two are far more important to you than the others.
The idea here is to avoid “shiny object syndrome.” You are swayed by things that aren’t on your list while forgetting about one or more of your non-negotiables.
How do you assess these things?
The answer, of course, depends on WHICH things you’ve selected as your non-negotiables.
To research something qualitative about the company, you can’t depend on the company’s website. Rather, try Glassdoor.com, news releases about the company, and talking to current/former employees.
To research something quantitative about the company, I recommend accessing Data Axle at your local library, Wikipedia, or the company’s website. If they are publicly traded, you can get information from Standard & Poor’s, Dun & Bradstreet, and the EDGAR database from sec.gov.
Some of the information most important to you may not be available until you apply for a specific position (such as a quality in your direct supervisor) but knowing that it is a non-negotiable keeps it on your radar screen as you go through the interview process.
Next, let’s talk about touchpoints throughout the hiring process where you can gather the information you need.
-Pay attention to how you are treated, and the attitude of those you come in contact with, throughout the process. Are they upbeat and friendly? Do you receive prompt responses to your questions/requests? Do they stay in regular contact and keep you apprised of what’s going on with the search?
-How are your interactions with the team you would be working with? Do they include you or are they standoffish – and how does that feel? (Trust your gut on this one.)
-Ask questions during the interview process about opportunities for advancement, training and professional development, compensation and benefits, and expectations for the role. Pay attention to whether you receive direct and honest answers or feel they may be hedging. You can also ask about company culture – you want to hear pretty much the same thing from everyone you ask.
-Consider any red flags that come up throughout the process and do your due diligence on those areas. This is especially important if you aren’t unhappy where you are – you certainly don’t want to leave that situation for a difficult one.
Ultimately, finding the right employer involves a combination of self-knowledge, research, self-reflection, and your intuition. Trust your instincts and carefully consider how well the employer aligns with your values, goals, and preferences so you can make an informed decision.
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