When job hunting, there’s more to consider than just a paycheck. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or just entering the workforce, it’s important to find a company that’s a great fit for you—one that matches your needs, goals, ambitions, and personality. It can be a tough search, but it’s ultimately worth it to find a company where you can do your best work and feel valued at the same time. So what, exactly, should you look for in a company? Here are six of the most important things you should look for in a company.
1. Goals similar to your own
Find a company that does something you can get behind. It’s hard to really be invested in the work you do if you don’t have any relationship with the company’s goals. You’ll likely be happier and feel a greater sense of purpose at a company with values that you admire.
You should visit the company’s website before applying for a job there to review their goals, mission statement, and vision. During the job interview, you can also ask the hiring manager about the company’s mission if you want a more detailed and honest answer from someone who already works there.
2. Company culture
A job consists of more than just the work itself. The environment that you do the work in is also extremely important.
Consider what kind of company culture you’d feel most comfortable in. Do you want a workplace that’s fast-paced and competitive? Or one that’s a bit more loose and relaxed?
You can get a better idea of what a company’s culture is like by looking up reviews from former employees online and talking to current employees. A job interview is a great opportunity to ask about the particulars of a company’s culture.
3. Benefits
Benefits and other perks can be a great incentive to join a company and stay with them long-term. One of the main benefits people look for in a full-time job is health insurance. Many Americans’ health insurance is provided through their workplace.
Make sure you become familiar with the human resources department, too, since they can often answer the questions that you have about the company’s benefits package—anything from “What’s covered under the health insurance plan?” to “How does dental insurance work?”.
4. Opportunities for growth
If you’re looking for something long-term, you should determine whether the company you’re applying to offer opportunities for growth. In other words, there should be other positions and roles that you can advance within the company.
There could also be opportunities to earn raises and extra perks through strong work performance. This gives you an incentive to be as productive as possible so that you can work your way up in the company.
5. Great people
You’ll be spending a lot of time around your coworkers, so they better be people you get along with. The people you work alongside make a huge impact on your experience at the company. Great people can help you learn valuable skills and improve your work, while a toxic work environment can stress you out and damage your performance.
Ask about the team dynamics and management style of the company during your job interview. Usually, you won’t meet your coworkers until you’ve started the job, but some companies conduct group interviews where you get to meet all of the people you’ll be working closely with.
6. Learning opportunities
A big perk of working at some companies is being given the opportunity to learn new skills. This can mean all sorts of things, as learning takes place in different ways.
Maybe the company offers a fully immersive internship that gives you real-world experience in an industry you’re curious about early in your career. Or perhaps they have a mentorship program where you learn how to do the job by working closely with a more experienced employee who you can shadow and ask questions.
Whatever learning method is employed, try to find a company where you will have an opportunity to gain valuable skills that you can put to good use in the future.
While accepting a new job is exciting, it also tends to be a big commitment. This is why you should be as picky as you can afford to be while job searching. Making the right choice will benefit both you and the company later down the road.
Featured Image Lebens-lauf by Pixabay
