How to Spot the Perfect Company to Work For

Everyone wants to graduate, until they realize that they would have to work forever. Unless you are living off on inheritance or trust fund, but if you are a regular person, you need a job for a living. And even though the world has gotten through the worst of global financial crisis, it can still be felt today, especially in third-world countries. The recovering economy means that there are still imbalance between the number of available jobs and aspiring applicants. You really can’t be picky, but you should not just accept the first job that comes by. Learn how to spot the perfect company to work for so that there would be no regrets for you and your employer once you started.

Truth be told, the perfect company does not exists, you only need to find one that is perfect for you. The first thing that you should do when applying for a job is to research the company background and history. It is similar to having a date, you try to learn as much as possible regarding the person (which kind of make you feel like a stalker) in order to know if you are compatible and if it /could/ work. As an applicant, you certainly want one important thing—stability, so look for the company net worth for the past decade since your application, it would give an idea if the company itself is stable, which inadvertently gives you an insight to the management and administration. Then look for the assets and holdings of the company, an extra assurance that it would not go bankrupt in the next few years and that it could remain strong, but do not forget to check their liabilities. It is simply a lesson in economics. With huge liabilities, it would sort of cancel out however big assets they hold.

When you are certain that the company is financially stable, ask for the competitive pay and benefits, because it is better to be secured than sorry. After all, you would be working 5 or 6 days a week with very little hours of downtime, you certainly deserve a salary that is meant for the skill set that you are offering the company. Also, a company with great benefits and fair salary speaks volumes about its culture. It shows that the higher-ups are generous, fair, and give importance for the welfare of their employees. You would certainly want to work for people who cares, instead of treating you as just another number in their employment list. After all, once you start working, you would realize how much you needed the employee engagement, because if you feel so weary due to lack of encouragement from your employers, you would start to burn out. Hence, ask around if there are company events and retreats, which provides you with enough time to refresh yourself and get in touch with your creative side.

During the interview, do not be shy to ask questions, just remember to contextualize them in a polite, professional and well-meaning way, and the transparency of the HR Department is also a good indication of the company’s honesty policy and office justice system. Issues are actually inevitable at work, so a great company must have its own smooth and structured way of mending fences without playing favorites or shutting you down. It would be frustrating to be dismissed just because someone with a higher position than yours is the only side they care about. Also, look around the building and your would-be office space, the perfect company ensures the convenience of its employees, giving them a place where they can move around, attain focus, and also encourage creative thinking. You should know how much impact an environment has to your attention span and motivation. If you are in a line of work that deals in the outside or field, learn about the insurances that should come with it and what are the safety measures that the company has taken for your welfare.

Afterwards, you can try to communicate to the company’s current employees to gain more information about the managerial system and if you can deal with that kind of system. It is preferable to choose a company with a stable management. Several changes in leadership in one decade or less than that is not ideal. It could mean a turmoil from within, which would certainly affect the company’s system, shares, and holdings, and would have a direct effect on you as an employee.

In addition, each company has their own sets of beliefs and goals, especially if you are applying for a company in another country or region, so try to see if they employed the minorities and if they have diverse employees, that is another indicator that the company does not discriminate and is open to changes. Obviously, a perfect company should not be biased, because if they are prejudiced against a race or religion, or color, then they might be lacking humility, a characteristic that the bosses should have. Aside from that, it is important to remember that company must choose its candidates based in skills, genuine talent, and strong personality, so if they have a bias hiring process, that means that some people got in for other reasons, which does not seem fair.

Being open to changes makes a company more flexible and adaptable, which is a must in the fast-changing world. So choose a company that is working steadily towards its vision and mission—doing its best to achieve its goals and reaching even beyond that. A company with ambition and direction is the company that you would want to work for because it would continuously challenge you and advance your career through the years. For sure, every company is trying its best for their employees, for the success of the business, so a perfect company would have a research and development team or department, because progress and innovations are now the way of the future and those who are merely going with the flow of the conventions are left behind. Thus, the perfect company to work for is one that takes risks, grabs opportunities, and empowers their employees every day.