Have you ever worked at an organization or on a team that you would say was a "great place to work?" Maybe it was on a team that exceeded high expectations or for a boss who was able to get you to do more than you thought you were capable of. I'm depressed that many employees and job seekers I've spoken with have never had that experience. But I am hopeful because I know that those companies exist. I've worked for them at Monster Worldwide, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and The National Center for Social Impact.
One of the interesting outcomes of working for a high performing team/organizaton/manager is that you can never look at your job the same again. Knowing that there is a better way out there, that there are brilliant people who accomplish brilliant things changes everything.
How do you find a great place to work? There are 4 resources that I direct job seekers to:
- Great Place to Work - I had the great opportunity to work with Robert Levering while at Arthur D. Little and was impressed with their corporate diagnostics to honestly assess an organization and determine if it was an authentically great place to work. Over the years, Great Place to Work has honed their diagnostics and has helped many companies to change their cultures for the better. (Unfortunately, many companies - Monster Worldwide included - weren't able to follow their recommendations. Sometimes companies don't want to change the culture. They just think they do.) Their lists represent a gold standard for identifying a great place to work.
- Glassdoor.com - This is the best site for honest company reviews, keeping in mind that some reviews will be from disgruntled former employees with an ax to grind. Glassdoor does a good job of protecting their independence while promoting employers - a tricky challenge in the competitive job market.
- Comparably.com - is a new one to me. I connected with them several months ago and was impressed with the depth of the questions they ask. Their experience is deeper and richer in understanding a company's internal DNA than Glassdoor. It's a great resource for insights.
- Idealist.org - I've known Ami Dar and the Idealist team for nearly 15 years now when I tried to get them to have Monster run their technology. Idealist is a great global job board with a critical niche - people who want to make a difference and companies trying to make a difference.
I hope that these 4 sites may help you to find your tribe - a great team of people, a great boss, a great culture, and a way to achieve your career potential.