It’s 2009. Do you know where your next job is?
Finding a new job is tough these days. New hires are in decline, unemployment is north of 8% so there’s plenty of competition and people who have jobs are making Herculean efforts to hang onto them.
And, if you do manage to land a meeting with a potential employer, the contemporary job interview process is way too one-sided.
Think about it. Companies can size you up like a side of beef. They can check references, implement background checks to see if you’ve been arrested or have a bad credit rating. Companies like Microsoft have even created calculated interview questions designed to see if you’re Mensa material or whether you should be fitted for a drool bucket.
Example: Why is a manhole cover round? Answer: Because it’s easier to cover a round hole with a round cover.
Seriously.
It’s high time that job seekers have some leverage. After all, we have questions, too. So if you’re hip-deep in a job hunt, look past the job responsibilities, the perks and the pay, and take a long look at the company itself. How much money does it make? How fast do they lay off employees? Any government contracts? (It's a big plus in this day and age.) How does it treat its employees? Have they ever been sued? If so, how many times, for what reasons, and by whom? Is the company privately funded? By who?
Knowing the answers to these questions before you accept a job offer can mean the difference between the corporate fast track and career-induced chaos. Here’s where to start:
You Say Hello, I Say Goodbye
Some giddy job recipients may be walking into an ambush they never saw coming. How? By failing to investigate a company’s hiring and firing patterns. Let’s face it. When the good times are rolling, companies typically offer fancier perks, higher raises, better benefits and, most importantly, job security. They have to, in order to stay competitive. But just because they do doesn’t make them a good long-term bet.
If the economy recedes like we’ve seen in the past year, companies will take measures to trim the fat, and they often do so in an emergency mode. That means cutting the most recent hires first. To stay ahead of the game, make sure you ask in your job interviews whether the company has a history of laying off employees. Ask how many job cuts the company has suffered in recent years. If they won’t tell you, the Internet will. Try Dun & Bradstreet, which tracks thousands of companies across the U.S. Or use the stock quote ticker at MainStreet.com. Enter the ticker for Microsoft (MSFT), for example, in the upper right hand of the home page, and you’ll uncover a cornucopia of information on the computer software giant.
Kick The Tires
When researching a company’s financials or its business practices, take what you’re told with a grain of salt. And don’t pay much attention to annual reports, either. You may not get the straight skinny because it’s not in a company’s best interests. Your best bet is to talk to former employees or check out what the media has been saying about the company and/or its industry. Again, the Internet is a big help. Prowl for stories. Many larger companies have dedicated chat rooms formed by staffers who might give you the sweet and lowdown, probably anonymously. Microsoft, for example, has a great insider’s blog.
