In today's job market there are ways to do varying types of
jobs within varying types of industries. When determining the best place
to work, you should do a lot of research into hitting your mark.
Targeting the companies that contain your ideal work environment is a
big job.
As we all know, not every company works the same, and
each company has a distinct organizational culture based on employee
personalities, their customer base, established policies and hidden
agendas, and varying company missions and visions.
One of the
major roles of the interview is to determine how well your impressions
reflect your ability to fit into the organizational culture. During the
interview, whether the initial, final, or a single interview, recruiters
are generally considering either the fit between the candidate and the
job or the candidate and the organization. In fact, many hiring managers
believe the focus of the interview should focus on the attitude of the
applicant as it fits with the organization's culture, and on training
for skills after the candidate has been hired.
During the
interview, job candidates are more likely to try to fit into their
perception of what the organization wants in a new hire--much more so
than employers are willing to modify their behaviors to fit in with the
impressions of the candidate.
Even though fit gets determined by
the employer during the interview, you can determine the best fit for
yourself before this important part of the job search process. You can
control this factor before the interview because you have taken the time
to determine what best fit looks like to you.
So when targeting
companies, what should you do when looking for a place to work, that
will allow you to grow both personally and
professionally?
* Know Thyself : First and foremost,
you must be knowledgeable about your own values and interests. Sometimes
working with a professional career counselor or coach can help you
determine these. I have worked with clients who have worked in one
particular industry for several years, but are now ready to make a
career change. They work with me to help them determine their values,
goals, and interests before even thinking about companies to target in
their job search.
* Research, Research, Research : When
determining the best place to work, go to the library. Look in company
annual reviews, look for current news related to the company of your
choice to determine what they stand for, and see if the information you
find matches your own values. For example, working parents who value
time spent with family may be interested in researching the companies
located on last year's Working Mother 100 Best Companies list.
*
Talk to Others : If you know of others who work or have worked in
a company that you are interested in, ask them about their experience.
Keep in mind that if it was a bad experience that does not mean that
that company will not work for you, but it may have not been a good fit
for that individual.
* Determine Your Search Criteria : Are
you interested in companies within a particular industry? Do you want to
work with a particular type of customer base? Are you interested in
working in small or midsize companies, or do you want to work in a
large, global organization? Are you willing to travel long distances to
work, or do you want your job located close to home? If your job
requires travel, how much traveling are you realistically willing to
do?
The process may seem daunting at first, but when you
think about waking up in the morning and driving to a place where you
enjoy working, and where you can best be productive, then all the effort
is worth it.
Felicia H. Vaughn, M.Ed.
(fhvaughn@hotmail.com), is a certified career management coach. She
works as a career consultant for REA Career Services Inc. and is COO of
VaughnElite Corp.
