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Choosing the right company
By Helen Beckett
Anyone who's been brought to tears through boredom or bullying will tell you the company you work for is as important as the job. You need the right environment for you and searching for the ideal role should be more than matching skills and qualifications to a job description. Here are some tips to find right fit and to help you to spot the good, the bad and the plain ugly places to work.
Varied work landscape
The UK employment landscape is more varied than continental Europe and when it comes to choosing employers we're spoilt for choice. As well as being home to many multinationals, small and medium-size businesses are a powerful force and employ 57% of the workforce.
The size of the company
There's a world of difference between working for a conglomerate and a local family business. Many jobseekers aspire to work for big brands because they usually offer bigger and better training, benefits and salaries. You could even have a recognisable business card to show off to your friends and family!
But when working for a large company you must be careful to produce quality work and be a strong communicator, or you could become merely a small fish in a big pond.
Climbing faster
Smaller companies can be great places to learn fast as you'll probably have to shoulder more responsibility early on. Kevin Braithwaite, an insurance underwriter, believes he'd be in a more junior role at a larger company. “Big companies are good for graduate schemes, but you can make progress faster with a medium-size company.”
Smaller hierarchies also make it more likely that you can get to know the real decision-makers in your company on a personal and professional level.
No-obligation trial
Like any relationship, a "getting-to-know-you" period helps before making a commitment. Try for an internship or temporary position before you join a company full-time. It's a great opportunity to get a feel for people and the company. Part-time work is also an option, as it gives you the chance to try out two companies at once.
Top of the league
League tables are a quick way of spotting good employers, showing respect, camaraderie, benefits and work/life balance levels in organisations. Great Place to Work is an annual league table for UK employers, and trade magazines run similar rankings for individual industry sectors. Even if the company you're considering does not appear in these lists, it's worth noting down the values that matter most to you and enquiring about them during the interview.
One to avoid . . .
While there are some great places to work, there are some equally lousy ones too. If you're not the street-fighting type, you may want to avoid companies that have hit the headlines in courtroom bullying cases. Sadly, there's no league table for worst employers, but a bit of Internet research could uncover some interesting employee experiences.
Warning signals
In the end, you're the final judge of what is good for you and you need to learn to read the warning signals. Ask what happened to your predecessor: did he or she get promoted or get shunted aside? Look out for how your interviewers interact with each other at your meeting; it's a sure sign of things to come.
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