Job Seekers: Stop Creeping On Your Ex Online and Start Doing THIS Instead
Get excited, job seekers: this may be the first (and only) time in your life where you’re actuallyencouraged to do a bit of digital stalking. No – not the creepy “Lifetime Movie” kind (there’s never an instance when that’s OK) – rather, the “investigative journalist” type of snooping.
Let’s just start off by ‘fessing up and admitting that we all do a little snooping every once in a while – in the digital age, it’s nearly impossible not to! A simple Google search can reveal a lot about a person, from their employment history to that night ten years ago when they went out drinking and let someone draw on their face with a Sharpie. But what’s been long viewed as a social stigma may actually help you land a job – and not just any job, the right one.
In other words, when it comes to organizations you’ll be applying to, you should do some poking around. Look into their history as an organization, filter through customer reviews, and even check out those individuals you know you’d be working with. What are they really like? What does the firm value and what kind of culture are they fostering?
So get down and dirty and do a little sleuthing. Pretend you’re Sherlock Holmes if it helps. Whatever you do, make sure you’re digging deep because believe it or not, unlike creeping on the Facebook pages of everyone you went to high school with, doing a bit of digital snooping during your job search is actually a win-win.
Snooping is good for you
The last thing you want is to get all excited about a new job only to later find out that the company you’re working for is a far cry from what you expected. (It’s like going on a date with the person of your dreams only to find out that they’re about as legit as Kim K’s first marriage. On second thought, it may be even worse.)
By doing your homework you’ll have a better sense of whether or not this is an organization you can truly see yourself collaborating with and a culture you can function in. And if it is the company culture of your dreams? Having done your homework will make you a way more attractive candidate. Companies love it when you can demonstrate that you’ve taken the time to really get to know what they’re all about. Think I’m kidding?
…It’s also good for them!
Despite a lot of rhetoric about employer brand, businesses need their employees to know what they’reactually diving into. When a new hire enters a company expecting X and instead gets treated to (or assaulted by) Y, everything falls apart. The new hire’s productivity stalls and they may even quit, leading to lost revenue from the hiring process and the unexpected absence of the new hire. In fact, 87% of companies said that high millennial turnover cost them between $15,000 and $25,000 last year!
Needless to say, companies on track toward real success will want you to be snooping. But keep in mind that these are also the companies that shouldn’t require a lot of digging because they’ll value real transparency, making the good and the bad readily available for your examination.
So get out there and start Googling the hell out of the companies you’re thinking of applying to. Think startup life is for you, but worried about the lack of a company history to search? Check out the founders, investors and existing employees; their personal values will absolutely define the culture there. No matter what, there’s a way to gauge how your personal values with align with the company’s goals.