Here’s One Reason to Research Companies Before Your Job Search by Mark Anthony Dyson
If you’re conducting an effective job search, you will realize it starts with a lot of work at the beginning and the end. It’s work. Most people will do the minimum until they needed a job yesterday. Then it’s doing the most and expecting the best. Target and research companies of where and you want to work.
To paraphrase, “…to strain a gnat and swallow a camel.”
People won’t do that with dating or marriage if they’re serious about marriage. Or if they’re serious about commitment.
We could dig deep into marriage counseling, but I remember it was a lot of work. And without it, my 31-year marriage would be moments of smiles yet, lingering strains of despair.
I cringe at how many dating analogies apply to finding jobs. It goes back a few decades, and boy, they’ve gotten old. But it’s one of the few ways to engage job seekers in this discussion. Most people want to know every detail possible before committing to another person. People underestimate how much it is to long-suffer 40 or more hours a week to an employer. Their mindset may say they are not emotionally involved with their work, yet, working requires an emotional involvement.
So, let’s talk about finding a desired dish and a desirable restaurant instead.
Your goal in researching an employer to make to ensure:
- There’s a match in skills and work
- That pay is what you desire or a fair work/pay exchange
- Many now care about shared values with the employer
- There’s an equitable (as possible) exchange of value between you and the company
- If you want to work remote or in-office as you desire
Beyond all things you can do to research a company, clarity of what you want to do must be evident. The other important decision you’ll make is where you want to do it. Without clarity on these two issues, you’ll regret where you end up working. Well, maybe.
Why research companies?
In a recent interview, I told my friend Hannah Morgan about my wife, and I found restaurants serving big juicy shrimp. I like the fried shrimp, and she wants them fried and grilled. We asked friends and people they knew for recommendations, Googled, looked at customer reviews of several places, found what past employees thought of working there, and looked at restaurant reviews from online food critics. Not only did we find the restaurant serving big juicy shrimp, but also the experience was top-notch. Why not conduct a similar search for job satisfaction?
Most people treat their job search as if they were looking for a fast-food restaurant on a road trip when they’re famished. You are looking to satisfy your hunger at the time without putting a lot of thought into it. Anything tastes good at the time, and you’ll settle for food you promised yourself to avoid if necessary. Aren’t you tired of paying for jobs you temporarily like?
In this case, the size of the shrimp mattered as much as how it was delivered. It was not the best shrimps we ever had. We were willing to experience different restaurants to find THE one we love. People research diligently for dinner but won’t do it to avoid job dissatisfaction.
Isn’t the extra work worth it to increase the chance of finding job satisfaction? What do you think?
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About Mark Anthony Dyson
I am the "The Voice of Job Seekers!" I offer compassionate career and job search advice as I hack and re-imagine the job search process. You need to be "the prescription to an employer's job description." You must be solution-oriented and work in positions in companies where you are the remedy. Your job search must be a lifestyle, and your career must be in front of you constantly. You can no longer shed your aspirations at the change seasons. There are strengths you have that need constant use and development. Be sure you sign up to download my E-Book, "421 Modern Job Search Tips 2021!" You can find my career advice and work in media outlets such as Forbes, Inc., Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, Glassdoor, and many other outlets.