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WHAT MAKES A COMPANY A GOOD PLACE TO WORK?
CAREER MARKETING CONSULTANTS
60 Colonial Way
Murray Hill, New Jersey 07974
908-665-7983 lloyd828@earthlink.net

1. Don't go to a firm to change things overnight. * Go to a firm that does mediocre work (expects only average work performance and, slow but surely, in self-defense, you'll be doing mediocre work. * Instead, go where you've got everything going for you already - then make your contribution by doing your best.

2. Don't spend so much time deciding between big firms and small firms. * More critical than the size of a firm is the size of the firm's people. * There are big people in business and there are small people, and you'll find them at every size company. * The little people will never stop trying to impress you with their contributions. The big people will allow you to make your own.

3. Refuse to work for anyone who isn't better than you are. * While your boss might not be better than you are, he probably thinks he is. As a result, you'll be totally frustrated in a wasteland of ordinary work assignments. * It's much better to work for someone you can learn from, whose opinions you respect and who can contribute to making you a better performer than you thought you could.

4. Find a facilitating environment. * Find yourself someone who evaluates your work without judging you, who can accept your problems as real without putting you down as a person, and who is willing to help you come to your own solutions.

5. Resist the job that's offered because you're good at the wrong things. * Know your areas of expertise, what you¹re good at and enjoy doing. * Avoid jobs that play on your weaknesses. All buildings must have a secure foundation. So must your career, hence build on those strengths of yours that relate most closely to your job.

6. Don't let yourself be wooed into a dumb job. * Ask yourself if it's a job you'd seek out on your own if it wasn't sprung on you. * Remember how quickly a love affair can turn into a cheap romance. * Plan your own career, and know your own objectives. Know where you want to go and how to get there, before the phone rings.

7. The sorriest "people" are those who are over-qualified. * All I wanted to do was get out of a bad situation. So I accepted a job that had no need for my special abilities and skills. * This situation leads to fill-in-the-blank assignments and being sent as a warm body to do dull work. * Stay where you are, no matter how unhappy, until someone is ready to appreciate you for your full value.

8. Remember that this business has to be fun. * If the job looks like honest work but not honest fun - nothing to learn and no creative challenge - then avoid it.

9. Listen to the three most reliable sources of advice. * Talk to people who already work there. Ask about the things you consider critical.. Does the company live up to its promises? Is your work area critical to the company or is it merely the factory? How are the little people treated? * Ask someone who just quit why he or she did so. * Listen to that wee small voice in the back of your own head during the interview. Trust your feelings.

An associate member of FENG, Lloyd Feinstein has been a full-time career consultant and adviser to senior executives since 1984. During this time he has specialized in helping senior financial and operational executives to DISCOVER, DEFINE AND ARTICULATE THEIR VALUE TO NEW EMPLOYERS. He is also a frequent speaker at FEI chapters.

Prior to this, Lloyd was Director of Human Resources for Oppenheimer & Co. on Wall Street and Director of Human Resources for Cadence Industries. He also co-authored ³Career Changing: The Worry-Free Guide,² published by Little, Brown & Co. (out-of-print) and articles for the Wall Street Journal's National Business Employment Weekly.