6/9/2010
Read MoreCompany Hires You; You Hire Company -- It's A 2-Way Street!
I understand -- sometimes we simply do not have the luxury of being picky - there are bills to be paid! But they are as fortunate to hire me as I am to work with them! It doesn't feel like it, but ultimately it is a 2-way street, a covenant between hirer and hired. Here are some key questions that I have used in evaluating the hiring company. I have used it since selecting first Harvard out of school, and then IBM a bit later, and it has worked throughout the years. And down the road, I realized I should stay far away from the dysfunctional, negative companies if at all possible, and would even begin politely "firing" companies that were more pain than gain. I hope these questions are helpful to you!
1. What is the general reputation of this company globally? Locally?
2. How is this company ranked and regarded in its industry?
3. What is the customer's consensus view of the company and its products and services?
4. What are vendors'/suppliers' opinions regarding this company as their customer?
5. What are employees' views regarding this company as a place to work, its benefits, and its management and culture?
6. What is your personal objective opinion of this company based upon all you have read and heard?
7. How do the managers and employees of this company treat others inside and outside the company? Do they demonstrate respect, professionalism, genuineness -- in short, the kind of values you have and the kind of people you would like to work with?
8. How has the entire interview/selling process been? I have always felt strongly that "everything counts", and the company does not get a free pass on being rude and callous in the interview process. The great companies say "no" in a polite, not barbaric way. The selection process tells you a lot about how the company devises and administers business processes and either walks its talk or does not!
9. Viscerally, how do you feel with this company, from its correspondence to conversations, dealings, interviews, interfaces with management and employees? Is it the kind of environment that energizes and one in which you enjoy working? Or is it a downer, a demotivating pit that suctions out much more than it gives back?
10. Of course, all of these points lead up to the offer, the pay, the package, all the deal points. As an employer, all the benefits, including medical, 401K, and so forth, are critical. As a customer company, how quickly do they pay invoices, and how do they treat their suppliers on a day-to-day basis?
11. Short-term, yes, you may have to side step or down step and take the job for immediate practical purposes unless it violates your core principles, but continue looking for that assignment that resonates with who you are and the kind of compensation and environment you find challenging and rewarding.
12. For the long-run, it has always been very empowering to me to reverse the psychology of the traditional system, that I as the employee/service provider am NOT the Pavlovian dog salivating at every sounding of the bell as the slave of the employer. No -- I will certainly be a great partner to them, but they are privileged to have me as their partner! If they do not appreciate me for who I am and for how I enrich them, no problem! I'm not a victim; I will move on; I will find better; I will be with the kind of people and entity that has the same kinds of values and rewarding experiences I need -- that they and I both share and desire to realize every day!
