How do you know a good employer??

Micomixo

Hi , I'm due to leave my job in a few weeks after accepting voluntary redundancy. So after a week long holiday I have a few interviews lined up. Now leaving pay and terms of work etc out of the equation I was thinking what I wanted from an employer and for me it's boils down to respect and trust between an employer and employee in my current role I don't feel like I have that from my employer. I won't go into details but part of the reason I'm leaving is lack of respect and trust on my employers part for all staff in the company

So anyway I understand an employer looks for certain things in an interview to see if the person fits the job. So I was wondering has anyone any tips for what I should ask or do to try and gauge if my prospective employer will treat me with a decent level of respect and trust??

Jim2007

Micomixo wrote: »

So I was wondering has anyone any tips for what I should ask or do to try and gauge if my prospective employer will treat me with a decent level of respect and trust??

Ask to use the toilets! I'm not joking, the condition of the toilets are a good intimation of the kind of people that are working there!

road_high

Jim2007 wrote: »

Ask to use the toilets! I'm not joking, the condition of the toilets are a good intimation of the kind of people that are working there!

I scoffed initially at this but when I think back, by far the worst places I worked and (people I worked with) the toilets were kips as were the canteen "facilities".

Jim2007

mfitzy wrote: »

I scoffed initially at this but when I think back, by far the worst places I worked and (people I worked with) the toilets were kips as were the canteen "facilities".

It starts with the little things, respect for each other. If people can't manage to leave the facilities in a fit state for the next person to use, it shows very little consideration for others and you bet that will extend to other areas.

At the same time all public facilities need looking after and if the company are skimping on basic hygene, it says something about what they think of their employees.

The other little things include who they treat you if you arrive a little early for the interview, do they offer you a coffee, what happens if they are late and so on.

Many years ago I did an interview in Dublin and they were running about 50 minutes late. When I was shown into the room, the panel started firing questions at me, without an apology in sight. So after a few questions I stopped them and told them that I had no interest in working for them! Where upon the chairman started complaining about time wasters... I let the three of them have it with both barrels.

Irish_Elect_Eng

It is really about several things....

(1) As other poster mentioned, the small things are a good place to start.

• Well maintained, Canteen, Toilets, Car Park, Carpets, Housekeeping are good first impressions.

(2) First impressions.

• How does the receptionist treat you on arrival.
• How do HR treat you during/after interview
• Ask for a tour or to be introduced to the people that you may be working for, what is your gut feel about the facility & people's demeanor in the office.

(3) Research

• Use your contacts to check out the company.
• Check the companies reputation on-line.
• (But take some of the opinions with a pinch of salt as happy employees rarely post about their experiences)
• Ask to speak with a employee if you do not know anyone in the company, people can often give you a surprisingly honest assessment of their jobs/company.
• Ask at the interview what the company's core values are, if they are practiced then the interviewer should know them from memory.
• Ask for a copy of their employee handbook before accepting.

(4) Final Points

• It is often not about good/bad companies, but finding one that MATCHES your personality/needs.
• Sit down and list out the "realistic" things that you need from a company to be happy / successful,decide which are deal breakers and which are nice to have, firstly work dispassionately from that list.
• Then go with your gut/sixth-sense/feel of an employer, it's probably right. Trust Yourself.
• The probation period works both ways, you can leave if things don't work out.

Best of Luck.

tatli_lokma

+1 to above.

Also, if you are led through offices to the interview room, take a good look around. Are people dossing? are people looking frazzled? is the place a tip? is there unfiled piles of paperwork all around, cluttered desks, archive boxes everywhere. Is it the exact opposit and things are freakishly neat? no personal effects on desks etc. Are people chatting with each other? is it very quiet? Catch people's eye as you walk past their desk, smile and nod. Do they respond or are they so bogged down they don't notice? these things can always give an indication of the organisational culture of a place.

And arrive early. If you are left sitting with the receptionist, and the opportunity lends itself to have a brief chat with her, ask her how long she's been there and does she like it. Often its not what people say, its how they say it. And also, chatting to the receptionist gives you another person to give a good impression to - you never know, the receptionist may mention it in passing that you seemed nice/polite/friendly or whatever, and this could be something that works to your favour.