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The Perfect Match: What Makes a Good Employer?

February 17th, 2012

From the job seeker’s point of view, a job search can often seem like a one-way process. After all, if you’re the one applying for a position, then you’re the one under scrutiny. And you’re the one hoping to meet the expectations of hiring managers who may or may not like what they see when they look over your background.

But it’s in your best interest to keep the process moving in two directions. After all, you’ll be dedicating your skills, time, talent and resources to this organization. And beyond a paycheck, you’ll want to make sure you’re getting something back. How does the company measure up to YOUR expectations? On what criteria should you base your decision? And if it’s better to pass on an offer, how can you tell? Here are a few things to look for as you compare your options.

Like-Minded Coworkers and Mentor Access

How will you get along with the people who work here? Are you a match? It may not be easy to tell based on a single interview, but do your best to make an educated guess. If you’re a working parent and a team player, stop and think before you commit to a company full of hyper-competitive single people who stay at work till midnight, and vice versa.

The availability of mentors may also influence your decision. Great mentors can help you make connections and support your professional growth, but not all companies provide or encourage this model.

Security

Where is this company headed three, five and ten years into the future? Is this a promising start-up or an established multi-national corporation? The answer may affect your sense of long term job security. If layoff rumors are likely to sweep through this place every few months, will you be able to adapt?

Room for Growth

If you enter this firm at a certain level, when will you be able to climb to the next rung of the ladder? Find out what your advancement options are and whether or not the company will support your progress. If there’s only one position above you and that person isn’t leaving any time soon, you’ll need to factor that into your long term plans.

A Comfortable Work Environment

Does this company share your values and your general approach to life? Will you be respected here, and will you respect your employers and the enterprise in general? Think carefully. Your quality of life depends on more than just a paycheck. There are few situations more rewarding than a job you love, surrounded by coworkers you respect, regardless of how much money you’re making. It’s the days, hours and minutes you spend here that will determine your future happiness or misery. So be honest with yourself. Feel free to turn the tables, ask questions, and put the employer under the microscope before you sign on. For additional advice and guidance with the job search process, contact your local employment staffing service in Connecticut at Merritt Staffing today.

Should You Quit Your Job? Eight Reasons to Get Moving

December 16th, 2011

When the economy stagnates and workers become uncertain about the future, they tend to react by rejecting risk and settling into anything that seems safe and familiar. When the stock market behaves erratically or unexpected life changes take place, most of us cling to what we have and turn away from the lure of the unknown. Even an unpleasant, underpaying, career-undermining position can seem tolerable if the alternative is no job at all. This is a reasonable response to uncertainty. But only sometimes. Here are a few situations that negate the rule completely and make the risk of quitting worthwhile, even imperative. If you find yourself experiencing these, it’s time to leave your job, face the challenges that lie ahead, and step into the next phase of your life.

1.   You have a better offer in hand.

Don’t be paralyzed by fear or doubt. Go! If it doesn’t work out, you’ll cross that bridge when you come to it.

2.   Your job is a placeholder, and it’s been holding you in place for more than five years.

If your job is simply a paycheck and can’t support or advance your true career, keep it for five years. If you haven’t found something more relevant during that period of time, it’s time to start looking harder, taking bigger risks, and making bigger sacrifices. It’s at about this point that a temporary gig establishes roots and becomes a full time life.

3.   You’d like to advance, and you’re ready, but there are no promotions available to you.

If you’re ready to take on more responsibility, but there are only three positions at the management level and none of them will be vacated any time soon, take control of your career and start looking for growth outside the company.

4.   You’ve like to advance, you’re ready, and there’s a position above you, but you can’t seem to get there.

If you’re ready for a promotion and you’ve applied and been turned down more than once, it’s time to start submitting resumes elsewhere. Don’t waste any more time with a company that won’t let you grow.

5.   You just can’t deal with your boss.

If you have a toxic relationship with your boss and you’ve been honest with yourself about your role in the mismatch and done everything you can to make it work, give communication and compromise a try for one more month, then move on.

6.   You can’t deal with your company culture.

If your workplace is hostile, depressing or abusive, don’t let learned helplessness or fear of the outside world sap the best years of your precious life. Go.

7.   You get a pricking in your thumbs.

Multiple rounds of layoffs, reports of bankruptcy (contact the chapter 7 bankruptcy lawyers for hire to resolve the issues), furloughs, pay cuts, and dramatic reductions in health benefits are all signs of trouble. You can take help from a debt defense attorney for legal counseling and help you out with your debts.In case of bankruptcy, you can also seek the help of bankruptcy lawyer services in Taunton city. Start job hunting now, and you might save yourself from a greater emergency down the road.

8.   You’ve been thinking about a career change. And thinking about it…and thinking about it…and thinking about it…

If you want to go back to school, open a restaurant, or pursue a dream, and you’re hesitant because of the risk involved, put it off for one more year. During that year, keep conducting research and gathering resources. After 365 more days of daydreaming, quit your job and make it happen. If not, you can contact your local CT staffing company at Merritt Staffing.

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