Interviewing is a two-way process. Employers assess if a candidate is the right fit for the job, and candidates match what the employer offers to their aspirations and requirements. And even when you’re desperate for a job, it is important not to lose sight of your priorities.
Of course, there will be big items on your priorities like money, benefits, title and commute. But that is not everything you should be assessing in a job opportunity. If you have the luxury of choice, try to dig deeper and more about your future employer. You should explore aspects that gives you an insight on how your employment and this particular workplace could impact your life.
Does taking a job really warrant this investigation? The answer is yes. Monitor the stress levels that many people go through because of their job, and you could easily conclude that picking the right fit in an employer is as important as in any other long-term relationship.
Here are a few points that you must consider.
Corporate culture
Although it is not impossible to work in place that doesn’t match your expectation in term of corporate culture, if you have a choice, pick what works best for you personally. In the long term, corporate culture will have an massive impact on your lifestyle and work relationships.
If the work environment doesn’t agree with you, you might feel alienated or left out. You also may find it hard to connect with coworkers or participate in activities beyond work. Over time, communication begins to break and issues ensue.
Social responsibility
Yes, check the company’s charity or social contribution activities. What should you bother? Because it gives a good insight into the company’s priorities. Of course, many of these contributions may be stunts for public relations purposes, but still the selection of activities reveals the company’s interests and direction.
For example, does the company volunteer to help local, small entrepreneurs? Are all its activities overseas? Does it have any political, religious or business affiliation that rub you the wrong way or hint to potential fraud or problems.
If you’re in a role that is directly related to those social responsibility activities, you certainly should look more into these endeavours and decide how you feel about being part of them.
Employee reviews
What do current and past employees say about the employer? It is never a coincidence when negative reviews are the norm. Visit local forums or online job sites that list employer reviews and others’ experience. Although many positive experiences never make it online, seeing a large number of disgruntled employees is a bad sign.
Is this enough reason to reject a job offer? The answer could be yes. If the negative reviews revolve around a systemic mistreatment of employees, lack of transparency, or any other significant problem, you better stick with the job you have or look elsewhere. If you find it hard to go with your gut feeling, think of alternative sources of information — like a friend of a friend who might know an insider to clarify.
And you always can go to the interview and get a sense of what’s going on yourself. You will invest some time and effort, but you’re more likely to either get a vibe or ask a direct question if you want to risk it.
Employer reputation
Working for a company that doesn’t look after its clients or employees is a bad choice. Even if you don’t think the business is involved in fraudulent activities, you think must think twice about joining a business with a bad reputation. The downfall of doing so is the challenges you might encounter when you’re trying to do business, especially if you’re in a consumer-facing or client-facing position.
If you often are unable to provide the kind of customer service, help or overall service that makes you proud, you may be setting yourself up for disappointment and stress. If you feel like you’re misleading people into believing that your product or service is better than what they actually are, your satisfaction with your own work may be dampened, which eventually could become too stressful.
The writer, a former Gulf News Business Features Editor, is a Seattle-based editor.
Know your employer
Dig deeper to know your employer’s culture
Check for community outreach and social responsibility
Find out what current and past employees say
Know how clients perceive the business
R.O.
