With everybody competing for jobs, it could be very tiring which is why some people may settle for the first company that says yes. The problem with this is that although you will be employed, it may not be the right job for you and you may be stuck there for a few years. Part of starting a career, changing jobs or finding the perfect job is knowing what is important to you and finding out which companies meet your needs. Not which ones will say yes to you. By finding those companies and then focusing on them you can better target your job search as well.
You can then narrow down from thousands to hundreds or even a top 50 list and scan their sites for jobs. By doing this you are also custom tailor your resume to those particular companies. If the company doesn’t have a position opened that you were looking for but one that is a step down, you may want to apply for it anyways. Something to keep in mind is that just because you may take a temporary demotion or pay cut with that company, you can always work your way back up the ladder. What is important is to know that you are at a company that has what is important to you and that you can be happy working for. Here are some things to think about when looking for jobs. What you may want to do is create a list and then narrow down your search to the companies that meet your needs and then focus on what they have opened.
1. Work/Life benefits.
Some people have kids or need to be able to work from home part of the week. Some companies offer work from home every other Friday or 2 days each week. Some offer flexible working hours and some allow employees to work from home completely, as long as their work gets done. Think about how your lifestyle is. Do you have things like social groups you absolutely do not want to miss out on and will the company you want to work for allow you to have off on a regular basis to attend them. Do you want to spend at least two or three weeknights at home with your kids or family? If so, think about the hours of the company and if you may only get to see your family on the weekends. If a work/life balance is important to you, try to find out if the companies you like offer benefits or ways to give you a proper work/life balance that meets at least most of your needs.
2. Is your company kid or pet friendly?
Sometimes you just don’t have someone to watch your kids or take care of your pets. Some companies offer childcare on site and some even allow you to bring pets to the office on random days. If childcare or pet care is important to you, you can look to see if they offer assistance or allow you to bring them to work every once in a while.
3. Vacation time and floating holidays.
If time off is your biggest need, or you take an annual 2 week vacation each year, look and see if you can find out how much time off you get with the company. If you only get 2 weeks which includes sick days, the company may not be a good fit for you since you may have to use up all of your time off and sick days just to take your vacation. This also goes into your work/life balance. It’s important to know how much time you actually need vs. want and to be able to see if you are able to get that amount of time off with this company. If not you could be stuck taking non paid days off and creating a negative feeling towards work.
4. Can you grow within the company?
Many people want to be able to see that there is no ceiling ahead of them when it comes time for a promotion. Unfortunately some companies normally hire outside instead of promoting from within. Other times you’ll find a company where there is maybe one or two people ahead of you and neither of them are going anywhere. If you want to be able to grow into a new role, it is important to talk about a career path and see if there is a way to be able to reach your own personal career goals within the time frame you are thinking. You do have to be reasonable though, most people don’t go from Mail Room Clerk or Janitor to CEO in a day.
5. Do you like privacy and quiet or do you like an open air environment?
The work environment could be a huge deciding factor for you. Some people cannot work in cubicles and others hate having offices. It is important to know what work conditions are important for you to be able to get your job done. Something I always want to know is where I would be sitting if I worked for a company. If you are able to, find out where you would be sitting and if it is the right type of environment for you.
The thing about job hunting is that even if you get an offer after searching for a long time, it could be with the wrong company. When you get that offer letter, that is when you can start to negotiate out your benefits and ask some of these questions. Other times you’ll see that the company may have a blog and you can find out if they offer these and other benefits. Some companies list the benefits of working for them in their careers section. Before you accept a job, think about what is extremely important and a must have to keep you happy there. If those most important things are not available, you may want to turn the job down and keep searching for the one that is right for you.