Finding Your “Happy Place” Job

As the job market, especially in the tech industry in New Mexico, starts to rebound, your search for a new opportunity will give you more choices.  Once you have identified a good fit for your skills and experience, there is one more consideration before you go through the application process.  Will you LIKE working there, and will you fit? 
An article in Business Week April 12 noted that every company has its own corporate culture – its own special mix of values and rules that affect how you will interact with others and accomplish work.  Figuring out the unique culture for a company is not easy from the outside.  Breaking that code, however, can make or break your career with that organization.  Nothing is worse than going through the whole hiring process only to leave after three months because you and the organization just don’t mesh.
To find out if you will like them, you have to do your own “interview’ of the company.  There are a few obvious ways to pre-screen the employer, and some you may not have thought of.
Prior to applying, do your homework.  Go to the company website and see what kind of image they present to the world.  If the website is not well maintained and seems outdated that may indicate the sophistication level of their management group.  That doesn’t mean the company is not a good one, but just may be early in their development.  How does their “About Us” page present, and does it seem to meet your preferences?  Also look for the organization on any social media pages, and in the business news. In my experience, a candidate that showed up for an interview without a clue as to what our company did dropped way down on the list of potential hires, so this step also helps you shine in the interview.
Check out the company’s reputation in the community at networking events.  Sometimes the juicy stuff doesn’t make the news – but also beware of malicious gossip!  In New Mexico it is pretty likely that you can find someone who works there or knows someone who does, so use your connections.
At the interview:  pay close attention to what goes on around you.  Do the people there look happy and greet each other?  What is the dress code?  What is the work space like?  Is there a detectible stress level?
At your interview, ask some questions of your own.  What is it like to work there?  How does the company measure success?  Do they have company events to highlight success or explain new projects?  Does it feel like there is a team effort, or do you detect “silos” within the corporate structure.
Of course, never forget to put YOUR best foot forward, and hopefully you’ll land the job you’ve always wanted.  Good Luck!
 

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Tags: hiring process, job, job application, job seeker