You’re not imagining it: Getting a job has become wildly difficult. It takes longer than ever for companies to fill roles these days. While one reason for this shift is the rise of remote work, which removes some geographical barriers and increases the pool of potential applicants, a big reason getting a job is such a nightmare today is the “never-ending” interview process that’s so prevalent these days. And it’s not just endless interviews with rotating groups of people, it’s dummy projects, lengthy presentations, and all those cheery thank-you notes and follow-up emails. Getting a job has become a full-time job.
This makes it paramount that you don’t waste your time—and your time is just as valuable as any potential employer’s. If you’re going to put that much effort into a new job, you’d better be certain you actually want to work there—and that means learning all you can about your prospective new employer.
Mission statement
First and foremost (and probably easiest), check the company’s mission statement. Even if this is “just a job” to you and you’re not looking for a role that matches your personal values, you can get a sense of the company culture by checking out their outward-facing statements on company mission. This is usually pretty easy to turn up; many companies have specific mission statement pages on their official websites, and a simple search on the company name and “mission” should turn it up; alternatively, Indeed maintains information pages on a lot of companies which typically include values statements.
If you can’t find a mission statement of some kind, that in itself tells you something about the company and whether or not you’re going to fit in there.
Employee reviews
If you want to know what it’s like to work someplace, get that information straight from the people who have already worked there. Checking out reviews by current and former employees at sites like Glassdoor, Fairygodboss, or CareerBliss can give you a solid overview of the internal culture and day-to-day experience of working there. They can also give you insights into another crucial aspect of that new job: The interview process. While you might consider the possibility of sour grapes when people don’t get a job, searching these reviews can give you an idea of just how grueling and complex the hiring process is—and whether you want to commit to it.
Position history
A key metric to look for when researching a company is the churn rate. How many employees have been in the same position you’re interviewing for recently? If the company has hired four people for this job in the last year, or if a large number of employees have left after a short term of employment, that doesn’t bode well for you in the same role. On sites like Indeed and Glassdoor you can usually see expired job listings, which will give you a sense of how often the company has to relist the job.
Poring over the company reviews at sites like Glassdoor can help here, too. If multiple former employees have already failed in the role you’re thinking about applying for, that can indicate a poor company culture, a lack of support, or unrealistic expectations.
Benefits
People often make the mistake of focusing entirely on salary when it comes to a new job. And while salary is the biggest aspect of your compensation, it’s not the only part of your compensation. The word “benefits” is deceptive—the benefits package is literally part of your compensation. Knowing the total value of what you’ll be offered if you decide to accept a job is a key aspect of your decision-making, so research stuff like vacation and paid time off, retirement accounts, healthcare, bonuses, and any and all perks like pet insurance, free gym memberships, and even free meals provided by the company. It all has a monetary value that you can roughly calculate, which gives you a better idea of whether the position is fairly compensated or not.
C-suite stability
Depending on the position you’re applying for, you might never interact directly with the C-suite folks (the CEO, COO, CIO, etc). But that doesn’t mean those executives have no impact on your job. Most companies post information about their high-level executives right on their websites, or a quick Google search will usually turn up the information.
What you really want to know is how stable the C-suite is. Look for past press releases announcing new C-level hires; if the company has had four CEOs in three years, that’s not a good sign. If other C-level folks have resigned under clouds of scandal, that also indicates a company that’s not being run very well. Even if the job itself looks perfect, joining an organization in turmoil probably won’t be your best move.
Public image
Finally, do some simple Googling. Look for headlines of any kind (ignore press releases and articles on the company’s own blogs or branded websites, as these will obviously be biased). Is the company embroiled in a ton of lawsuits (especially from former employees)? Are they mired in a nasty labor dispute with a union? This sort of information can give you a glimpse of the reality of working there.
You should also cruise by the company’s social media presence. This is 2024, and any company worth working for should have at least some kind of social media game. If those accounts are musty—an X account that hasn’t posted in two years, or a Facebook page that was last updated during the pandemic—that might indicate a company that isn’t paying attention to its image and customers, or that doesn’t understand the modern world very well. And if the tone of its social media seems off to you for any reason, there may be a culture clash in your future that you might prefer to avoid.
Accepting a job offer is a big deal. You need to know just as much about a company as they know about you before you can make an intelligent decision. Future You will thank you.
