One of the best ways to shift your career in the right direction is by working for the right companies. The right company for you is the organization that most closely matches your requirements and goals. Working for the right company gives you a fulfilling and rewarding professional life while working for the wrong one could potentially make your life a nightmare. We want to save you from that nightmare by giving you 7 tips on how to choose the right companies.
How to Know If a company is right for you?
There’s no sure-fire way to know right off the bat if a company is right for you. But, you can use the following 7 steps to better reason whether a company is right for you.
1. Does the organization’s purpose appeal to you?
The odds are that your work will eat a big portion of your life. You’ll have to invest so much time, energy, and thought into your work to be successful. So, you’re going to want that work to be meaningful for you. One of the most important ways for your work to be meaningful for you is when it serves a grander purpose you support.
The company you work for dictates that grand purpose. So make sure you choose an organization whose values and goals fully align with yours. You might initially feel tempted to work for a company you don’t find meaningful, but that’s a mistake. Long term, you’ll regret working for a company you don’t find purposeful.
2. Do you like the company culture?
A company’s culture can make or break your work life. Joining a healthy and productive work environment could be one of the best decisions of your life. Conversely, walking into a toxic and unhealthy corporation could be a massive nightmare for you. For that reason, most companies nowadays claim to have a great working culture, but you need to find that out yourself.
You need to thoroughly understand the company’s culture before joining them. Many companies will also have cultures that are otherwise healthy but not suited for you. For instance, some people prefer process-oriented and formal workplaces, so they don’t do well in close-knit and open working environments. So, you need to find the right culture for you individually.
3. How does the job impact your life?
No matter how hard you try to separate your professional and personal lives, the former affects the latter to some extent. So, you need to ask yourself how your job affects your personal relationship and hobbies. The worst thing that can happen is if you choose a job that negatively affects your personal life. When a job hurts your personal life, you also stop being productive at work.
Ideally, you want a job you can sustainably perform in the long-term without comprising your personal life. So critically think about how your job affects your personal life and avoid organizations that burden you beyond what you can bear.
4. Do you genuinely want to be part of this company?
Everyone has to work in today’s economy, but it’s always better to work somewhere you genuinely want to. Always remember that working for a company you genuinely like will always give you a more fulfilling career. You don’t want to work for a company you’re indifferent to at best, or actively resent at worst.
Working for someone you don’t like will ruin your morale and negatively impact your mental health. So, choose those companies that match your beliefs and desires the most to have the best long-term life.
5. Will the company appreciate your efforts?
One of the most important long-term contributors to professional success is being recognized and appreciated for your work. Being appreciated motivates you long-term to help you stay productive. So, you need to work for a company that actively helps appreciate their employees and recognizes their contributions.
The best way to find out whether a company appreciates its employees is to talk to its current and former employees. They’ll give you a good idea about the internal culture and work dynamics of the company.
6. Does the leader inspire you?
Most of the world’s best companies will have exceptional and inspiring leaders. Even if the company you want to work for doesn’t have the most inspiring leadership, you should still see some future with them. The quality of a company’s leadership also indicates what future they have.
You want to work for a company led by a visionary who at least has the competence to not ruin the company. So, it’s important for you to work for companies with leaders with visions you can respect and follow.
7. How To Identify Red Flags?
Even if everything else seems fine, there are other potential red flags to watch out for. A red flag doesn’t necessarily mean you shouldn’t take the job at all. It just means that there’s a negative consequence from taking the position.
Common red flags include employees or managers boasting they work 24/7, an unclear job description, uncompetitive salaries, and poor work-life balances. All of these red flags make the job less desirable, but it’s your choice whether you’re still willing to accept these problems.
In the end, the right company is different for everyone, but there are a few commonalities. A good organization pays you what you’re worth, treats you fairly and professionally, and provides you with a rewarding and fulfilling professional career.