Do the Due Dilly on Your Next Company

In this week’s newsletter:

• 📈 Pulse of the Job Market

• 🔬 Do the Research on Your Next Company!

• 👩‍🔬 Where Do I Find This Information?

• 🔗 Other Resources

📈 Pulse of the Job Market

Glassdoor’s Economic Research Team put together a May jobs report preview and here are some of the key takeaways:

• Despite some bumps in the road, the job market's been doing pretty well, adding jobs left and right and keeping unemployment super low.

• The number of new jobs popping up is expected to stay steady, just like it was in April.

• The unemployment rate is chilling at 3.4 percent and it's likely to stay that way. But keep an eye on those who've lost their jobs for good, 'cause that might mean more layoffs are on the horizon.

• People's hourly earnings went up by 4.4 percent compared to last year in May, which is even better than the 4.3 percent increase in April. Who knows how long it'll take for this wage growth to chill out, given the job market's on fire.

• The hard facts show us that the job market is getting back to its old self after being super tight, with job openings, people quitting, and wage growth getting back to what they were before the pandemic.

• Fewer people are claiming unemployment insurance, which means that those without jobs are still managing to find new ones.

• On the flip side, the softer, more subjective data shows that workers are pretty worried about the job market. Chat about layoffs has shot up, and people are feeling less confident in their employers, especially in tech industries where there have been a lot of layoffs recently.

But hey, despite these worries, the hard facts are showing a strong job market, and the jobs report is likely to back this up.

🎧 Listen While You Read

🔬 Do the Research on Your Next Company!

Imagine this. You’ve just spent the last 3 weeks grinding through 5 rounds of interviews only to find out that they only have 2 private chefs on the premises and you don’t think they’ll be able to support your culinary needs.

Wouldn’t it have been nice to know this YESTERDAY!? Before applying for a job at a company, it is essential to research various aspects of the organization to ensure it aligns with your values, goals, and expectations.

Here are some key things to research about a company before applying:

• What the company stands for: Get to know what the company is all about - their values, mission, and vision. Make sure it vibes with what you believe in.

• Money matters: Do a little snooping into the company's financial health. You want to know they're doing well and can pay the bills.

• What they sell and who they sell to: Get the lowdown on what the company offers, who they're selling to, and where they stand in the market. It'll help you understand how they roll.

• The vibe at work: Look into what it's like to work there. What's the culture like? What perks do they offer? You want to make sure it's a place you'd feel good about showing up to every day.

• Who's in charge: Get to know the bigwigs at the company. Who are they? What's their background? What do they do at the company?

• What's the latest: Keep up with the company's latest news and events. It'll give you a sense of how they're doing right now and where they're headed.

• What the employees say: Check out employee reviews on sites like Glassdoor, Indeed, and Comparably. It's a great way to get the inside scoop on what it's really like to work there.

• The interview rundown: Look up what the company's interview process is like. Knowing what kind of questions they ask and what the experience is like can help you get ready for your interview.

• How the company's doing: Check out how the company's been performing. Are they growing? How's their reputation in the industry? It'll give you an idea of their long-term prospects.

• Ask around: Reach out to people in your professional network. They might have some insights about the company, its culture, and its reputation.

👩‍🔬 Where Do I Find This Information?

Beyond a company’s website, social accounts, news headlines, let’s explore a few other less obvious places below:

Key Values

Key Values is a unique site that lets you find and browse companies based on the values that you share with them. While the site is geared toward software engineers, the company values are still useful despite your role.

https://www.keyvalues.com/ 

Fishbowl

Fishbowl is similar to Blind in that it’s anonymous in nature. You can browse various ‘bowls’ or topics and get the true lowdown on companies from current and former employees. Just side-step the toxicity, get your company research done, and get out!

https://www.fishbowlapp.com/

Perplexity

Perplexity recently launched their Copilot (with limited use) and I’ll say that it’s a game changer.

I used the prompt below regarding my previous employer 🤷🏻‍♀️, and the results were extremely useful, and surprisingly unbiased. It searched very relevant and recent posts, articles, and other sources that would have been great to have before or during the interview process.

http://perplexity.ai

I am applying for a role at [insert company]. Can you find me any red flags that may indicate that I shouldn't work there?

Blind

This anonymous community platform is also filled with company insights that you won’t find anywhere else. You can search for the company that you’re applying to and get some pretty good insight in the Reviews tab.

https://www.teamblind.com/

🔗 Other Resources

• Our friends at WARNtracker have launched a new job board with 16,000+ jobs from over 300 companies! [website]

• 📰 May 2023 US Labor Market Update: A Cooler Summer Awaits Seasonal Job Seekers [article]

• 📰 April 2023 JOLTS Report: Getting Closer to a “Normal” Labor Market [article]

• 📰 Insights from American Workers: A Comprehensive Survey on AI in the Workplace [article]

• 🎥 How to use ChatGPT for interview prep [YouTube]