Sarah
How did you choose what company to work for?
People say that figuring out what job you should do or even which industry you should work in is the hard part, but what about once you have? How do you choose what companies to apply at? What did you look for in a company? I am now at the stage where I'm looking for internships at tech companies that I will put on my resume and I don't want to make a mistake working for a company I don't enjoy being at or that doesn't help my chances of getting a job in technology out of school in the future. #technology #human-resources
32 answers
Penny Kusterer
Penny’s Answer
Hi!
My first job out of college was through a temp agency at a tech company. That is what lead me to my career at Dell. It was and still is an exciting company! My advice is to choose a company where you can be excited about them and/or their products and services. You can find a good job but your heart needs to be in the company to be happy there.
Good luck!
Thank you Penny!
Sarah
Andy Stento
Andy’s Answer
An additional consideration - focus on the attributes of the industry and the company you want to work for - rather than focus on a specific company. Do you want to work in a slow growth industry with long term stability and steady profitability? Or, are you more interested in a fast paced, constantly changing industry where agility and adaptability are valued. Also, consider Gretzky's quote - "skate to where the puck is going" when you are contemplating industries, companies and categories. Once you have defined your attribute list (i.e. fast growing, technology, software, under $100M in Revenues etc.), then you can use you attributes as a filter to decide on which company to work for. And, be prepared to change jobs and companies multiple times. Focus on learning and growing at every step - and when you feel things slowing a bit in your growth curve, it may be time to consider another role at your company, another company or another industry. Good Luck!
Aman Chaudhary
Aman’s Answer
Firstly it all depends on your field of interest. Lets say you love coding or have interest in networking.
Then you start preparing accordingly and start exploring options in that respective organisation.
So it totally depends on your area of interest.
Thanks & Regards
Aman chaudhary
Aman recommends the following next steps:
Robert Aguilar
Robert’s Answer
Sonali Tyagi
Sonali’s Answer
Reeja J
Reeja’s Answer
For me, my first company was based on the area of my graduation. I was keen to get into telecommunications that being my Engineering field. Though I had to wait a while for the right job field to come my way, it was always worth waiting and choosing the field you have a passion for. Every company has its pros and cons. Putting some efforts in researching what a company profile(what is it known for, the rating of the services it provides,..) is can help you choose when you have multiple options.
ASHISH ANAND
ASHISH’s Answer
I joined my first company as a college hire and am still enjoying working for the same company! Cisco.
I was pursuing Electronics Communication Engineering degree so Software development and tech related to my field which is communications always attracted me. While Software development was on boom, I wanted to do something different which would impact everyone's live, whose outcomes can be seen. Fortunately Cisco came around and I was much obliged to join them. Here I deal with Network technologies, impacting today's world internet, how we access it, how fast and reliable it can be, 3G,4G,5G etc. and this world is developing so fast I am always in awe with how it is achieving these thing and barely able to keep up with it. In this rush of time, I not only enjoy the work but also the outcome it has on everyone's lives.
But this would not have been possible if I started out making list of companies before I tried on what they have to offer just on the words. My advice, check the field you're studying in, check the topics you're interested in and match it up with the tech world development. With these keywords, you can filter out the domain and the companies you want to go in. Best would be to put those companies in the list which are leading the world in those technologies or if not are in race with them. Even if you don't get to them, start with the companies which work on those technologies but which will give you challenges like start-ups and then work your way up learning to the leading companies.
Journey should be more enjoyable than the destination itself :)
Cheers and all the best for your journey ahead!
Angelie Duran
Angelie’s Answer
Hey,
I have been in your situation before. I wasn't sure about which company I wanted to commit to. After an extensive amount of research and thinking about which company offers values that I felt are a reflection of who I am as a person, it made it much easier for me to make a decision. What is important is that you find a company that sparks that fire within. A company, that you can see yourself working for long term. Think about what truly makes you happy. Ask yourself: Do I see myself working here every single day? Do I see myself committing to the tasks that are expected for me to do? Afterwards, you should have a better idea of which company you would want to work for.
As long as it's a job/company that offers great skill sets that will benefit you in the long run, you should be fine.
I hope my bit of advice helps!
Best of luck.
Wendy Schwarz
Wendy’s Answer
Hi Sarah.
That's a great question, especially since you want to make sure the company you choose is the best fit for you and your career goals. We are very fortunate in this age to have so many resources available at the hands of technology. tYou can do quite a bit of homework on the companies you are interested in before you interview with them. A couple sites offer free information on companies, including reviews of the company from an employee standpoint and salary information. Glassdoor and LinkedIn are two of these sites. I chose Dell because of the collaborative culture, the fast pace, and the excitement of the constantly evolving technology industry.
During your interviews, ask as many questions as you can to gain a perspective on the company culture, the team you will be working with and gauge your potential career path.
Best of luck to you!
Wendy
Katie Blyth
Katie’s Answer
I think the company you want to work for will depend on what goals you have at the time. When I first started my career in Sales I worked for a smaller organisation as I didn't have enough experience yet to be noticed by bigger companies. The benefit of working for that small organisation though is that they gave me a chance to learn a lot as with many smaller organisations you end up doing more than just your role. Over time in that smaller company I took on roles in Sales, L&D and then eventually started my career leading teams.
With that experience I was then able to move into working for much larger organisations where I could gain experience working for publicly listed companies and eventually moved into working for a global organisation so I could fufill my career goals of working and living in new countries.
Think about what skills you want to learn and develop over the next 3-5years, the skills that will help you along your chosen career path. Try to find a company that will help you gain those skills. Be prepared to be upfront about what you want to learn from your employer and ask those questions in your interview. Ask what opportunties or projects you'd be able to work on to help as you develop in your career. In my experience (and certainly in my own case) employers love to hear that their candidates are ambitious and driven towards their future career goals.
Best of luck!
Keri Dunkelberger
Keri’s Answer
When you are looking online at employers, consider reaching out to their HR department to ask questions about the overall structure of the company, it may well be important for your workplace satisfaction to work in a place that makes you feel productive, valued and inspired - no matter what line of work it is.
In the time of COVID internships may be challenging to come by, so consider emailing a local recruiter to find out if they have done work with a company you are interested in learning more about. Temp agencies are also a great way to get your foot in the door of various companies without committing long term if it's not a good fit.
Good luck to you!
Anilkumar Dantu
Anilkumar’s Answer
If you already have any company names you wish to work for or a dream company in mind. Then first thing is to find out what it takes/skills level to get into that company. And then develop/groom your self and apply for that company.
Jai Saraswat
Jai’s Answer
This is a great question and I am impressed you are thinking about this so early in your career.
I understood this after working for 2 years, when I changed my company. I saw an amazing change in the culture and team work and I realised how bad my first experience was.
In today's world most of the companies are very active on social media - LinkedIn, Instagram etc. Once you've decided the industry, narrow down your search to a few companies, follow and review updates and posts from these companies. This will give you an initial feel of how happy the employees are and what's the leadership culture. I am very fortunate I work for an organisation which very frequently asks if I am physically and mentally ok.
Research about industry awards they've won - especially things like 'Best place to work', HR & People related awards. This should help you decide where to apply.
I hope this helps you. Good luck!
Thanks,
Jai
Simeon Snow
Simeon’s Answer
Jonathan Marban
Jonathan’s Answer
Rachael Haugh
Rachael’s Answer
Nishant Alsatwar
Nishant’s Answer
First thing that you have to do is, decide the field of your interest.
Then make a list of companies which works in your area of interest.
You can further sort the companies according to the technologies they are working in.
And finally prepare according to the company's job profile to get into it.
