Job hunters should be selective when choosing employers

By Murigi Macharia

When Martin Odhieno received job offers one month after graduating from uniiversity, he counted himself lucky.

But the two job offers – one from a bank and the other from a respected auditing firm – was the beginning of his dilemma.

He could not make a quick decision on which job to accept without making the wrong choice.

Choosing an employer is an important decision that all potential and current employees have to make before one settles down with one employer.

Several factors must be considered before all potential employees make that crucial decision about which job to choose.

The first important consideration about the employer is that the worker seeks to settle in a job where he or she feels valued, respected and appropriately rewarded with competitive pay and benefits.

The employee also seeks rewarding work, which gives his life a meaning as one grows in a chosen career field.

Organisation Structure

One should also choose firms that have a well defined organisation structure. The structure defines networks of relationships between jobs, job holders, roles and organisational groupings by which the firm achieves sufficient differentiation of functions.

Organisational structure also defines how power, status and hierarchical relationships are organised, how various tasks are assigned, job descriptions, formalised policies and procedures. Such organisations are devoid of anarchy syndrome.

Employees who seek to rise quickly in their careers should avoid tall firms and instead seek employment in flat organisations.

A tall organisation is a firm with numerous management and decision making layers like the military, while flat organisations are characterised by few management layers where the employee can rise fast.

Jobseekers will also chose to settle in organisations that promise training, career development and progression.

Respected Employers

Employees feel appeciated, motivated and successful when they are trained and competent in their positions.

Respect for the employer is the other important consideration for many employees. Respected employers are financially stable in the market and industry.

They engage in the production of respected products and avoid theft or underhand deals.

The ownership of respected organisations is known besides seeking, trading and partnership linkages with other equally respected public and private organisations. Respected employers do not expose their employees and clients to any form of pecuniary embarrassment.

The other important consideration is the organisation culture of the firm.

Organisation culture defines the essential collection of shared values, which provide both explicit and implicit sign posts for acceptable behaviour and conduct.

Dress codes and acceptable language fall under organisation or office culture .

Have you heard of family-friendly employers? These are employers who respect the work-life balance of their employees and initiate family support schemes to assist their employees and families.

Co-operative and friendly co-workers are usually qualified, competent, confident and share similar value systems.

They all make the work-place a very friend0ly environment. This is another critical factor for potential employees to consider.

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