If your list has more than ten characteristics, you can continue ranking in ascending order from highest to lowest priority. For instance, you could write the number one beside the salary range you decide upon to indicate this characteristic as your number one priority.
If your last supervisor offered little or poor feedback about your performance, consider whether you want your next supervisor to be more proficient in offering constructive feedback.
For example, you can look at mission statements on company websites. Reading the mission statements, search for keywords that relate to the values you are looking for such as “personal growth” or “professional development. ” For example, if you want a job that values professional development opportunities, you should look for one that promotes this on their website. If you want one that values work-life balance, you should look for this quality on their website. [3] X Research source
Explore the ‘About us’ or ‘Values’ pages of the company website. This should give you an initial sense of whether they value things that you are looking for in a company. [4] X Research source Explore the ‘Careers’ page on the organization website. This can help you figure out if the culture is a good fit for you. Set up a Google news alert for the company. This will help you get a sense of the values the company promotes to the public and how it is perceived in the news media. Think about the kind of work-life balance you need and whether the corporate culture will support that balance in your life. [5] X Research source Consider your current and future plans. For example, if you plan on having a child in the near future, then you might consider whether the company allows for telecommuting or flexible hours.
Company review websites also often include information about similar companies that you might be interested in applying to.
If you place a high value on work-life balance and you find a lot of posts that indicate the company values workhorse or nose to the grindstone type employees who work every weekend, perhaps the company values do not align with yours. If you value social and environmental sustainability and you cannot find any posts relating to sustainability, perhaps the company does not have the same values as you.
Ask them about what it’s like to work there, such as whether it is expected to work late and whether they give you free meals or other fringe benefits. [10] X Research source You might ask: How do you feel about the company? Do you feel like it offers good opportunities for advancement? Are you happy with how they treat you?
At the interview, you might ask: Can you give an example of an especially successful employee at your company? You might also ask: What kind of corporate culture do you try to create here? What kinds of social supports do you offer employees? For instance, do you offer daycare?
At the interview, you might ask: What kind of pension plan is offered with this position? What benefits are offered? You might also ask: What rewards do you offer for people who go above and beyond the weekly quota? What opportunities exist for professional development within the company?
Think about whether you see people being friendly to one another in the waiting room. Observe the demeanor of people you meet during the interview process. Reflect on whether you would see yourself as being happy in this environment. Even the layout of the furniture can give you an indication of the work culture. For example, if you see a lot of common areas with chairs and sofas for employees to gather, then the company likely values collaboration among its employees. However, if you see mostly cubicles, then the company likely values individual effort and does not encourage collaboration.
You might ask yourself: Did the employer show respect for my time by starting the interview on time and notifying me of any changes or delays to the interview schedule? You might ask yourself: Did the employer show genuine interest in my responses and my experience? You might consider: Did the employer seem genuinely interested in my career goals and aspirations or were they just asking rote questions?
Even if the company does its own hiring, you may want to ask about the typical length of time that people stay with the company.
Consider whether the tasks that you have to complete for your current job remain very difficult despite having had to complete them for many months or years. If you are a carpenter and find framing very difficult after many years of doing it, perhaps this job is not ideally suited to you. Perhaps other kinds of carpentry would be more rewarding. You can also check in with yourself every day before you go to work to see how you are feeling about it. For example, if you dread going to work every day, then this is a good indication that you should look for something different.
If you receive feedback from your boss orally, try to write down the feedback that you receive for a few months. At the end of a few months, review your notes and make a list of all of the areas needing improvement and all of the positive feedback. If the feedback is mostly negative or in the needing improvement area, you may need to consider other work.
If you are disabled, consider whether your employer takes steps to make this job and the workplace more accessible. If you are out in the workplace as part of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning (i. e. , LGBTQ+) community, consider whether your employer has a LGBTQ+ employee resource group. LGBTQ+ resource groups share information on LGBTQ+ issues and events at the company and help connect LGBTQ+ identified people in the company. [18] X Research source
Bring up the subject of work at your next family event. If you find yourself enjoying the experience of talking about your current job, perhaps you are happy in your current position. However, if you find it painful or stressful to talk about, you should consider why the subject is so difficult to talk about.
There are many people who manage to find work doing what they love, whatever that may be, so look around and try to find yourself a job doing something you are passionate about. [21] X Research source Consider what type of work you would like to do if money were not an issue. If you would still be doing your job or something similar, then this is a good indication that your job is a good fit for you. If you’d rather be doing something totally different, then you may want to look into changing fields.
