New jobs are hard to come by these days, and good help is always hard to find. In any job interview, almost all of the power seems to go to the employer. Still, the process of finding and keeping excellent people is not easy. In fact, the currently flooded labor market has made any hiring manager’s job much more difficult. The path to employment is a dance in which both parties—the potential employee and the hiring entity—can gracefully execute powerful moves. And what comes after the dance can be a wonderful or hellish experience, depending on the fit between the employee and the workplace.
For the next couple of PeopleMetrics blogs, we’ll be writing about the hiring process in today’s dismal economic climate. Today’s entry advises potential employees on how to find a good fit—but don’t let that throw you off if you’re on the hiring side. Put yourself in your potential employees’ shoes as you read this article, and ask how your company would look in a new hire’s eyes.
If you’re currently unemployed, consider this transitional period in your life an opportunity to find your dream job. Given how difficult it is to find a job, once you land one, you’ll want to stay for a while. Make sure that you’re entering a supportive, personally fulfilling environment by running through the following tips before you say yes.
1. Know yourself. Before you can figure out if employers have what you need, you have to figure out what you need and enjoy in your ideal workspace. What would it look like? Do you work best in silence, or do you like music while you work? Do you work better on your own, or on a team? In other words, to land your dream job, you must spend some time meditating on what you want.
2. Put on your Anthropology Cap. Ask the potential employer if you can hang out in the office for a day. Chat with people. Take them to lunch and pick their brains. Sit and just observe the office flow for a half hour. Write down what you notice, and see if you can draw any conclusions about the underlying office environment. Not every office will allow you to do this, but it’s usually a good sign if they will: it means they’re confident that their employees are happy with their work. Try to get a sense of how the office operates on a cultural level, and whether you would fit into that culture.
3. Ask about alternative benefits. Everyone knows to ask about traditional benefits, like health care, salary, and vacation time, but many people don’t appreciate the lesser-touted benefits until they realize what they’re missing. As they often can’t afford to pay higher salaries, many employers are finding creative ways to offer new benefits. These alternative benefits may include free passes for public transportation and showers for freshening-up after your morning bike. Flexible hours and the ability to work from home may make your next job a joy—so do your best to figure out what alternative benefits your potential employer offers.
4. Demand Respect. Employee engagement research indicates that employees are more engaged when they feel that their contributions make a difference. Engaged employees also feel like they have a good relationship with peers and management. Finally, they feel empowered to do their best work thanks to support from management and the team aroudn them. If you don’t see this in the organization, don’t take the job. Why work where you won’t be appreciated and nurtured?
~Kate Feather, Executive Vice President
PeopleMetrics
Additional Resources:
Dream Jobs: Companies with the best employee engagement scores
Top Ten Sources of Workplace Stress, and How to Fight Them
Costco Case Study: Employee Passion Increases Employee Retention and Customer Engagement
Introduction to EEM
Top photo by Jesse Dill.
Tags: dream job, good employers, job hunting, Job interview, office culture, office environment, tips for job interviews