Find the Right Industries, Companies and Bosses For You
Zeroing In On The Right Place to Work
Finding the right industry, company and boss can make all the difference in whether you love or hate your dream job. Do you know how to find the right ones for you?
If not, you are not alone ... many people think any place where they can do their dream job ... has to be wonderful. But employers are not created equal. They have different missions, values and cultures .... as do industries. And bosses come in all types ... from tyrants to pussycats ... and evolved individuals who can champion your goals and give you wings to be very successful.
Taking The Time
So taking the time to get it right ... and avoid mistakes .. is well worth it. Often, we are so relieved that we have found someone who will pay us to do our dream job, we overlook the small warning signs.
Or miss the rare opportunity with the right boss ...
Finding The RIght Industries
The place to start is with industries .. because often if you move around ... you tend to stay within an industry because of the special knowledge you gain and the network and reputation you build. All of that usually means higher salaries if you stay within an industry where they know you, and another reason why it makes sense to find the right industries.
Ups & Downs
Industries go through cycles like the seasons ... and some are just emerging, some are growing like weeds, while others are slowing down and some are dying off. It pays to know what your favorite industries are doing.
For example, buggy whips and wheel wrights used to be all the rage ... until the automobile can along and replaced them. The dot com's were a great place to work until the industry overheated, too many launched IPOs (going public to cash in by issuing stocks) and the Dot Com Bubble burst ... laying off thousands of people and emptying speculative stock portfolios of value.
Values & Cultures
Industries also have industry wide cultures and values .... so you want to find ones that are aligned with yours. If you are an environmentalist trying to work inside a polluting industry, you can expect that you are going to be working against the mores and standard ways of doing business. That could be great, unless you hate being a crusader and underdog.
Cultures can range from old school to cutting edge ... Ivy League to creative chaos ... valuing stability, tradition, stewardship and exhaustive research .. or be at the other end of the spectrum , rewarding anarchy leading to new revolutions in ideas and business practices, entrepreneurship , garage based startups and fly by your pants initiative and huspa.
Researching Tools
To learn more about industries, first you will want to find the ones that fit your life paths. Although people can fit into a number of industries ,, such as accountants, consultants, factory workers and shipping clerks .. most industries are built around a core activity. Finding the ones that fit your profile of dream job could just be the cat's meow.
Find The Right Companies
Once you know the right industries for you .. the ones that match your values and support the things you care deeply about ... you can look for the best companies within each industry.
Brand News & Old
Just like industries, companies have their own cycles. Some are brand new, others are growing up, and still others are maturing or in the process of aging and dying off. Rarely does a company last more than 100 years ... and many that are under two years old will not make it to their third year.
So you want to look carefully at the age and health of a company, as well as where it is in its lifecycle.
Elevators Going Up & DOwn
Companies also have a place or niche in an industry. Some are the innovators, while others are the market leaders, or the old standard.
All have a place on the totem pole of the best companies to work for .. with the ones who value customers, reward employees and focus on making sustainable profits at the top.
High turnover employee mills who chew up employees and spit them out are at the bottom, along with companies that flout laws and try to make a quick buck before rolling up the sidewalks and getting out of town.
In the middle are the companies that care but not that much ... doing what they have to in order to stay in business and keep out of trouble and red ink. They are decent to their employees and customers ... but they do not value loyalty or look to pay more than they have to. Employees and customers come and go ... both are expendable if they get a better offer.
Finding The Right Bosses
Once you have found the best companies for you to work for, it is time to focus on who you will be working for. The most overlooked choice in evaluating a job offer is who you will be working for. Most of us tend to think that all bosses are either all the same, or we have no control over who we work for.
But your immediate and one level up boss are critical in making your dream job a dream instead of a nightmare. Who you work for is a choice ,,, and all bosses are not created equal. These two people are the ones who will give you bonuses, raises and perks. They will decide if you get promoted, how much you earn, what assignments and projects you get to work on, how much you get to build critical and valuable skills and experience for your resume, and what kind of reference you get from the company.
So you want a boss that not only likes you, but sees you as a valuable asset and valued member of the team ... who respects you, your opinion and recommendations. Someone who wants you to succeed at the job. Someone who will be a mentor and champion when job growth assignments and promotions become available.
If your boss sees you as a threat, dislikes you, or does not want great people working for them ... you are in trouble. And in any skirmish between boss and employee, the boss automatically wins ... because someone already hired them and put them in charge. Not very often does a boss get fired, because that would mean that someone else higher up made a hiring mistake. And you are easier to replace than a boss ... and usually the boss is the one who gets to tell the higher ups who and what the problem is ... and they rarely finger themselves as the source of the problem who must go or be transferred.
But you can check out bosses by talking with people about their reputations. Past employees as well as current ones can tell you what the boss is like. Great ones stand out like a beacon in the night ... while the bad ones leave track marks in the sand and skeletons scattered all around them.
Research who you will be working for, ask around the industry about them to see if you want to work for them. And if you would not trust them with your kids or your favorite pet .. do not go to work for them. They control a large part of your life .. 40 hours a week ... and weekend time recovery time if the job is going badly.
The Next Step ..
Now that you have some idea of who you want to work for ... you can start to prepare for your dream job. The easiest way to do that is to ...
