06 Nov How to spot a good employer

Building a successful career can often come with quite a high degree of pressure; finding the right job, thriving and growing your skillset. But with so much expectation around sticking in the right job so your CV doesn’t become a spaghetti junction, is quite a tall order, isn’t it? You have a couple of hours of interview time to figure out if this company is going to be a good place to work and one that you can see yourself happy in for the long term. In many cases, that might not be enough to make an informed decision, so, how can you investigate further to make sure you’re making the right decision?

The Grapevine

The benefit of living in a small community like Guernsey or Jersey, means you don’t have to look far to find a current or previous member of staff at a particular company, so ask around and see if you can get a balanced view on the company’s culture and working conditions. Just ensure it is a balanced view and keep an eye out for a bitter ex-employee or a current superfan, focus on spotting trends and don’t take too much stock in a single opinion. Glassdoor.com, basically TripAdvisor for work, is a helpful resource but not many local employers feature on there at current. There is the talent acquisition partner that can help with the recruiting processes.

Research their CSR

Treat others how you would like to be treated, they say. So, how does your prospective employer treat the community in which they occupy? Research the company online, both on their website and via search engines to see what community initiatives the company undertakes and how their values may match up with yours, not only is it a good indicator of the company’s investment in the community, it will also be a good conversation point for your interview.

Take a critical look at their benefits package

We all love a good annual bonus and free pizzas on a Friday, but what about day-to-day? A big juicy bonus is always a tempting factor (but very rarely guaranteed), but that’s a once-a-year perk and if day-to-day life doesn’t stack up, you can’t sit pretty all year waiting on that coveted bonus. More and more employers are taking work-life balance seriously and offering flexible working patterns, personal development programs, gym memberships, public transit reimbursement and much more.

Ask how they promote individual growth

Your career must be a two-way street and if you’re going to invest your time into your employer, you need to be able to see that they will invest their time into you. Are you going into a job that has no room for progression or do they provide a clear path for progression? How do they support professional study or do they have a CPD scheme in place? Can they give success stories of people that have come in and worked their way up the ladder? Have in mind how you want your career to progress at this company and adjust your questions accordingly.

Looking for more advice with your career search? Contact me directly to arrange an informal meeting; sarah@ado.gg – 01481 729340