Evaluating Potential Employers

What Are The Qualities of a Great Employer?

When it comes to the things that separate one company from another people consider all kinds of criteria. If the truth were known, many people have never really thought about it – all they know is the best company is not the one they are working for. Unfortunately, not knowing will make them dissatisfied wherever they go. Here are some tips to help you identify that great company from one you’d prefer not to work for.

Set Down Your Ideals of a Best Company

Take some time and jot down on a piece of paper those things that you feel are important. To start with, you might list those things that you feel you don’t like about your present place of employment.

Here are some questions to get you started:

• Do you feel discontent because there are personality clashes?
• Do you feel that your bosses do not listen or do not care for you?
• Is it easy to get any time off when you must have it?
• Are the working conditions good?
• Do your bosses have reasonable expectations of you and the other employees?
• Are there rewards and incentives for a job well done?
• Is input about change welcomed?
• Is there a team spirit among the employees?

Eliminate the Unreasonable

After you make your list, you need to give it an honest evaluation. It is not good enough to say I want to work at a place like Google – that is unreasonable. The truth is that most places never could be like Google, simply because they cannot afford it (sad truth). The work environments of Google and Yahoo, and others like them, are exceptions and not the rule.

Focus on the Possible

Look at your list and decide which things are reasonable to ask of an employer. If you have trouble with this, put yourself in the employer’s shoes and consider what requests for change would you accept – and which ones would you reject. After all, employees (usually) do not own the company.

Once you have made what you think is a pared-down list that is reasonable, take a second look at the company you work for now or most recently. Ask yourself if you have been expecting too much, but offering very little to help make it better. After all, change has to start somewhere.

If you feel that you must stay where you are for some reason or another, why not be the one who slowly and carefully tries to bring about a change? Going through the right channels is another important thing, too, and so is being an employee that the management would want to hold on to.

Get Started Looking

If you are ready to leave, make sure that you are going to leave on good terms. This will enable your present employer to be able to recommend you later on. Remember, too, that best companies are also looking for best employees. After all, they can only maintain their reputation as a desirable employer if their employees buy into the program.