Evaluating employers
Knowing the company you plan
to join should be an important part of your job search.
It allows you to get a
preview into the organization and find out if you will fit in and enjoy
your new job. It should give you information to answer the question- Do
your goals match with those of the organization?
You do not want any
unpleasant surprises once you have changed your job. You would also not
welcome a move which turned out to be detrimental for your career. In
order to reduce dissonance post a job-change, it is advisable then to
research your prospective employer thoroughly.
When and how should researching the prospective employers be done?
Research the prospective employer before
applying for the job
At the outset you need to draw up a list of organizations that you would
be interested in applying to, based on broad indicators like industry,
product/services offered and your prior experience. This would, of
course, be done keeping in mind your career goals.
The second step would be
to evaluate each of these prospective employers against a set of
criteria established by you. This set should be as detailed and
exhaustive as possible in order to give you as much relevant information
as you can get regarding the organization. This evaluation should enable
you to classify companies into two groups- the ones that you definitely
need to apply to and the others that do not fit in with your career
goals.
The third step would be
to send your resume to the short-listed organizations and wait for
interview calls. The information you have gathered during your research
of the company would help you give better and well informed answers
regarding the organization you are interviewing with, the work you think
you could be doing there etc. This will project you as a keen and
dedicated candidate who has done his homework and is aware of the
company. And of course, once you are made a job offer your research will
help you decide if the job and company fit in with your career plans.
The focus of this article will be on the second step i.e. evaluating
your prospective employers before you apply for specific job positions
i.e. before you send out your resume.
Establish criteria and prioritize what is
important for your job
To evaluate prospective employers, you need to establish certain
criteria. A detailed list of criteria should cover different aspects
such as the organization culture, its market reputation, its growth
prospects, requirements of your job etc. Once this exhaustive list has
been drawn up, you also need to prioritize what criteria are important
for you in your job. This will help you to compare different job offers
and choose the one that satisfies your requirements the most.
This is what your detailed list of criteria
could look like. You could divide the criteria into different
categories:
The company background
1. The industry that the organization is in
2. The products/services that the company deals in
3. When the company was set up
4. Number of offices/branches in various cities
5. Size of organization-its turnover, employee strength
Performance of the company
1. Its turnover and other financials-profits etc.
2. Market share of its products/services-is it a leader?
3. Growth prospects of the company
4. Current and future expansion plans/objectives
5. Its competitors
6. Company reputation amongst customers/suppliers
7. Company problems/needs
Human Resources
1. Organization structure
2. Quality of personnel
3. Working environment
4. Corporate culture/philosophy
5. Company salary structure
6. Increments pattern
7. Performance appraisal systems-is company a meritocracy?
8. Management style
9. Importance of training programs
10. Any plans for re-structuring
About your prospective job
1.Job description/requirements
2.Match with your existing skills and education
3.Frequency of travel
4.Chances of transfers
5.Benefits package
6.Work hours likely
7.Job location- city/upcountry; urban/rural
8.Opportunities for promotions/advancement
This list has 30
criteria listed and you could add some others that you can think of. An
research like this on your prospective employer would provide invaluable
information to help you decide on the most suitable employer for you
that would match your needs and your career goals.
Word-of mouth a significant source of
information
This list can serve as an excellent guide to gather information on the
prospective employer but the important question here is from what
sources? The information source needs to be reliable, accurate and up to
date. You could use alternative sources of information for this purpose
such as:
-company home pages
-investment portals
-libraries
-stock exchange/CMIE compilations
-company annual reports/brochures
-trade associations like FICCI
-newspaper/magazine articles
-word of mouth
A few comments on
these information sources. Company home pages are useful, however you
need to remember that they will tell you what they want you to know in
order to project themselves positively. Not that there is anything wrong
in that. It's just that you could also look elsewhere.
One of the significant sources is word of mouth, that is talking to
people currently working in the organization or people who have earlier
worked in that organization and have since left. This could give useful
information on work environment, organization structure, job content,
management style and personnel. You would get a real feel of what the
organization is like from these first hand accounts.
Let's hope an exhaustive research like this
of your prospective employers ensures that you take the right decision
and join a great place to work!
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