Choosing the right business to work for is crucial for professional development and personal fulfillment. As a rule, however, it can be difficult to get to know the company you are interested in beforehand. How do you find out where you will feel most comfortable? To help you choose the right employer, here we put together several key criteria.
1. Determine your needs, requirements, and preferences:
If you have already had other work experiences, think about what you liked and disliked (relationship with your superior, teamwork, interactions with colleagues, autonomy, organizational values, working conditions, type of organization – private company, public service, etc.).
If you’ve never had practical experience, compare it all to school or leisure: do you prefer to work alone or in a team, do you like being closely supervised, or do you want more autonomy? Also, ask yourself what work means to you and why you want to work.
Are you looking for an environment to fulfill yourself, to continue your learning, to maintain an active social life or to earn money? There are no wrong answers, and your answers may change with your situation. Either way, the answers to all of these questions will help you sort through employers and job types.
2. Find meaning:
In order for you to do well in your work, it must have meaning for you, i.e. it must allow you to take advantage of the elements that you have previously identified (your strengths, your skills, your interests, your values, the type of mandate and organization, etc.).
By doing research or asking your contacts about the companies that interest you the most, try to find the organization that seems to have the greatest coherence with who you are, with what excites you, inspires you and motivates you.
The greater the consistency, the greater your sense of usefulness and well-being should be, two important aspects that can have an impact on your physical and psychological health: another element that should not be overlooked.
3. Test different backgrounds:
Before committing to a long-term job, you could “test” different environments to see if they suit you and, at the same time, gain experience.
Take a look at the company’s website. An interactive site and a clear customer journey are signs of a business that values online customers and is likely investing in its online marketing department.
During the interview, pay attention to your surroundings. Are the offices open, promoting an atmosphere conducive to discussion? If so, it is likely that teamwork plays an important role in the life of the company. On the other hand, offices with many closed spaces probably have more individual work.
You could also chat with professionals in your field about different aspects of the labor market. If your study program offers you the possibility, do not hesitate to do internships.
In addition to putting your knowledge and skills into practice, the internship will allow you to validate your professional choice and gain experience, a considerable asset when the time comes to get your first job once you have graduated.
You can also devote a few hours of your time to volunteering. Although unpaid, this experience will allow you to increase your network of contacts and discover different work environments and contexts.
4. The working environment:
In addition to the location of the company, the duration of the journey, and the type of journey (e.g. car or public transport), the working environment includes important framework factors such as the working hours to be performed per week, the availability of the employee – this includes, for example, overtime or shift work, or the need or willingness to travel on business.
Job security is also an important issue when choosing the right working environment: is it a temporary or permanent position? Is the employer self-financed or externally financed, and is it financially stable?
For many applicants, the way they are treated within the company is also important: does the company tend to be casual, where you can come in everyday clothes, or does the premise “suit and tie or costume are mandatory” apply in this company?
5. Ask questions:
Your thinking is progressing and you have a few favorite employers in mind? Do not hesitate to ask questions to the people who make up your network of contacts.
Some may have worked at these companies before or know employees there whom you could interview. If you are called for an interview, do not hesitate to ask questions about the important elements that you have determined previously. You can find the previous employees of that particular company on Leadar. On this website, you can grab the basic details of the persons as well as companies.
Ask recruiters, especially about the values and vision of the organization to check if you adhere to them. Ask how these values are executed on a daily basis within the company. If these appear on the organization’s website but are not enforced, it could become a source of frustration.
In conclusion, do not send your resume randomly and choose an employer based on what is important to you. Pay particular attention to both the position offered and the organization, because it is quite possible to get the dream job, but in a company that does not share your values or vice versa.
Weigh the pros and cons based on your goals. If, for now, your goal is to pay off student debt, it is likely that you will pay particular attention to the salary.
If you want to be fulfilled in a job, bet more on an environment that respects its employees and its customers and cares about applying its values. If, for you, learning is what matters most, look for a company that offers challenges and that will allow you to evolve and achieve different mandates.
In any case, determine what matters to you, take advantage of opportunities likely to allow you to discover various environments and inform yourself.
After going through all of these tips, you will probably be able to choose the right business to work for!
