Joining a new company: why it will or won’t work.

Ready to start a next chapter in your life? If you choose to work for a company, any company, it will be useful to take the following information into consideration when checking whether the company is fit for you. Why share my experience? I have worked for five companies in the last three years. Why so? As a management trainee I completed three assignments at three large international companies, after which I became a program manager at a digital agency. I got the opportunity to test-drive different companies, before choosing a place to continue my career. Choosing a right fit is so important, as it will impact your mind, body and soul in either a negative or positive way. As it is almost impossible to find out beforehand if a company you want to work for is a fit, knowing what to look out for will definitely help you out a lot.

Numerous aspects in your company will contribute to you liking or disliking it. But what are these aspects you should look out for? Company culture is surely one of them, but then, what is company culture? Having a ping-pong table in the office is cool, but trust me, it won’t be a dealmaker or breaker. Look out for the following aspects in your new role to find out if your new company is a match or monumental disaster.

Hierarchy 🔺

Hierarchy is the first one to pop up in my mind. Hierarchy itself is mostly not the cause of any frustration. It could be very much embedded into the company culture or it could be very absent. The company hierarchy will impact for example your ownership or responsibilities, the decision-making process and the time it takes to get things done. In small to medium organizations you will most likely experience more freedom in the decision-king process, ownership, responsibilities etc. than in medium to large organizations. It is definitely a wise decision to make sure you enjoy long discussions and political play before you get things done or not.

Ownership

Will the decision be your call, will you be held responsible for the result of your actions? Being responsible for a product/project/program is what motivated me to do my best. My actions would lead to success or failure, that’s what made the job interesting. Being able to promote the product in front of a number of executives, being the expert, being responsible and accountable is what helped me work my ass off. No responsibilities or accountabilities, then what is the use of the job…

Decision making

Can you make decisions in your role? To move forward, you will need to make decisions at some point. But will you make them, or do you rely on others to make that decision? If you rely on your manager, project board or even your manager’s manager to a great extent, you could feel very constrained. It is not so easy to find a role in the early stages of your career where you have a lot of decision-making authority, at least not in a medium to large company. However the outlook of having this ability in a foreseeable period of time could also comfort you. There are companies out there where every decision is escalated to the top of the pyramid. Other companies encourage you to only escalate issues that you cannot solve yourself.

Speed

Another very important aspect that could contribute to your opinion of the company. In some companies it can take you up to two weeks to schedule a meeting with an important colleague, that could even be canceled minutes before the actual event. There are companies where you could meet a managing partner the same day. Again company size has a great impact on speed. Think about where you see yourself. See yourself in a company where many long meetings are the status quo? Do you like a speedy process? Both come with pro’s and con’s. A clear decision-making process could take time, a speedy one could not be as thorough as you would like. See how the importance of speed in an organization fits your personality.

Brand 💎

Image

Would you like to work for a cool company, one with a flashy name, great product and history? Go for it. However I must say that this aspect of a new job has fallen almost to the bottom of my list. This of course can differ for every individual. Almost in all cases I have experienced my view on the company image changed radically during my work. Working for a great brand can be a wonderful way to become talk of the town or the center of attention at every birthday party. Do remember, it is you that will sit through long meetings, hostile working climate and superficial conversations if the working climate is not as you would prefer. So make sure the idea of working for a wonderful brand does not distract you from other very important aspects that could make or break your career. Make sure to think if it’s the positive attention you need from your job or the possibility to learn and make great steps. And by all means, if you find a great brand where you feel the company culture is a perfect fit, have a great time!

Product

In my experience the product the company sells is not as important as I initially thought it would be. However working for a company that sells a product or service you understand and would actually buy or use helps. I would say this aspect depends on the work you would like to do. Do you want to excel in management, finance, HR, the product is probably not the most important aspect to look at. As a product designer, or when you have a passion for the product, the answer is obvious. Personally I enjoyed the opportunities to develop myself in companies where I had no real affection with the project, highly valuable. Take product into consideration, don’t focus on it too much.

Must-have or Nice-to-have 🃏

Are you working on a must-have or nice-to-have? In these times, there are countless roles that can be found on the company payroll that sound very exotic. Improvement manager, Employee well-being coordinator, Agile coach, Delivery manager and so on. I believe every role can make the company a better place. But what does the managing board think, especially in times of crisis?

Working in a must-have or nice-to-have role will also determine which will meet the important stakeholder first. Be ok with working on a nice-to-have, or do your utmost best to make it a priority within your organization. Of course a sustainability coordinator for example in the modern day era is almost a must have for every medium/large organization, however check the company board’s motivation. Are they willing to put effort into your ideas, are they willing to give you the stage you need?

Management 👔

Your manager

You will find this one on top of the list of numerous professionals. Your manager will play a key part in how much you enjoy working at your company. Micro-management is a combination of words you have very likely seen together before. You will see a lot from your manager during your time at the company. A good connection is very important, so try to make it work, really give it your best shot. If there is no magic there, expect the occasional struggle.

General management

Not unimportant is the general management in place. The members determine the company strategy, vision, mission etc. They set the goals and move the company in a specific direction. You should feel comfortable with the message they try to send out, and the targets or goals they set. If you notice a mismatch, you will find that it will be very difficult to realize your ideas. This could lead to conflicts, where you in most cases will always lose the argument in the end…

Social aspects 🧍🏼‍♀️🧍‍♂️

Events

Enjoy the occasional drinks, skiing trips or company karaoke’s or other events that involve colleagues and a lot of pleasure. In some companies events are embedded into the company culture, in some not so much. The importance of the aspect could change as your career progresses, however if you feel the need or desire to hook up with your colleagues every now and then at the bar make sure there are others that want to join you.

Your colleagues

You will see them more often than your girl- or boyfriend, parents, brothers or sisters, your colleagues. They will be the ones asking you questions about your work, the weekends, your relationship and experiences. Being well-connected in your role will definitely contribute to you having a good time and being able to do your work. Of course this is something you will have to discover as many of the other aspects mentioned in this article. But if ever in doubt about the company fit, be sure to check if your current colleagues contribute to you wanting to go to work every day.

Ethos 🥇

Does your job mean everything to you, or do you need it just to pay the bills. Working with colleagues with no ambition could cause serious frustration. You will have to ask them the same question a million times, and still you won’t get the answer you so badly need. Working in a company with high-potentials and all you want to do is chill, no fit… Do you want to become the best version of yourself, then working in a company where one of your colleagues wished you a nice weekend on Thursday at 2.30 pm, probably no fit either.

Location 🌍

Maybe not on top of the list, but location will definitely impact your feelings towards the company you work for. Are you the girl or guy that enjoys to grab a Starbucks (or fill in any other coffee co) during the break, have a walk around town to clear your mind? Enjoy going out for drinks after work is done? In this case you should probably consider a job that is in a buzzing location. Want the commute to be less than 15 minutes in the morning, consider something nearby, or move…

Office

An office with a rooftop bar, or one across the street from a smelly recycling company (I’ve been there). Everything is possible here. Even though these are two extreme’s, consider where you want to spend most hours of your week, because for most it will really matter. Cool couches, art and fancy iMacs, or clinical clinical and standard feel, consider how much it matters to you.

Commute

I’ve had jobs that required me to travel to work 3 minutes on foot as well as 2,5–3 hours by public transport (one-way). 0–30 minutes: perfectly fine, if you like or hate the job. 30–60 minutes, fine if you like the job, probably a bit too much if you don’t like it. 60 minutes is a mental border. When traveling to your work for 60+ minutes, you will definitely need to love your job, or the benefits, a lot. Crossing it will bring you into a different state of mind. 75 minutes will be OK, if you really, really love the job. If you don’t love it, don’t bother. 90 minutes is the absolute maximum as long as the journey is pleasant (straight connection, not too many changes at different stations) and you will be able to work at home every now and then.

Benefits 💶

Salary

The weird thing is, to me, salary actually does not matter as much as I initially thought. Especially because all the other factors mentioned in this article can really impact your state of mind. Knowing what you want to earn is important during the negotiation period. You should know what you need to earn to be able to live your life for the coming period. Besides what you really need to earn, you probably have an idea of what you want to earn, so you can save or do extravagant things. Once you land the job, the importance of salary diminishes. Salary though can act as a lifeline when you have reached the point that all other factors mentioned in this article are on the low. But trust me, if all factors mentioned here are on a low, your salary needs to be well in the six digits to help you wake up and go to work every day. Probably even then you will not be able to hang in there forever.

Secondary benefits

Like to drive a Tesla to work or travel second class on public transport? Secondary benefits could definitely be a dealbreaker. A good pension plan, transport compensation, maybe even a cool car and sports club subscriptions, all could positively impact your feeling towards your job. It probably won’t be the most important aspect, but good secondary benefits are not self-evident.

Learning 🎓

Very Important if you want to grow! You will learn in every role and every company. But is there a focus on learning and is there proper guidance to be able to learn and reflect on your performance? When coming out of uni, college or high-school, the possibility to keep learning is probably not your prime goal when joining a company. But please, consider the learning possibilities in your new company. Yes you learn by doing, but not having not focus on what you have learnt, or what you would like to learn in the future will definitely not bring you further. There are even companies out there that help you find out your flaws and learning opportunities. I would strongly advise you to take this aspect into careful consideration.

Conclusion ✅

There are countless aspects that impact the feeling towards your new job or company. The weight of all aspects differs for everyone. That said, this information can help you think of aspects you should look out for when choosing your new job or company you work for. Upon your application, talk to someone (or more than one) in the company and ask about the information above. And once you are in, keep a close eye on everything that is mentioned and form your own opinion about these aspects for your job. As mentioned earlier in this article, your new adventure will have a great impact on the way you live your daily life. Let it be positive!