The average person spends one-third of their waking life at work. It’s little wonder that we all want to work for a company we’re passionate about in a role that works for us. Finding the right company to work with isn’t just about ensuring happiness in your engineering job.
Working for the wrong company can make reaching your career goals harder, harm your motivation, and drain your energy. As employees worldwide continue to recognise just how important the “right role” is, more employees are shifting to new positions, searching for better company culture, compensation, and opportunities.
So, how do you know whether to contact an engineering recruitment company for help finding your next role?
It starts with assessing your current situation and identifying how it aligns with your goals, priorities, and skills.
Step 1: Assessing Cultural Fit
There’s more to thriving in a engineering role than finding a job that offers competitive compensation or allows you to use your skills effectively. Cultural fit is crucial, too. More than 88% of job seekers believe a healthy company culture is vital to their success at work.
The collective attitudes, values, and practices that guide the processes in your workplace directly impact your motivation levels and job satisfaction. Everything from a management style that doesn’t align with your work ethos to a lack of focus on inclusivity and diversity can leave you feeling stressed and unhappy at work.
If you’re unhappy in your current company, invest in learning more about the culture of the companies you’re considering joining. Read current employee reviews and social media posts, or speak to your recruitment company for extra insights.
Step 2: Aligning Personal and Company Values
Today’s engineering employees want purpose and meaning from their roles. They want to work for companies that share their values, whether passionate about sustainability and innovation or believe in the benefits of work-life balance, equality, diversity and inclusion.
Working for a company that shares your values makes you more likely to be intrinsically motivated, leading to higher engagement levels and improved job performance. Plus, a role that aligns with your values can help boost your morale and make you feel happier and more loyal to the company you’re working with.
To identify your values and assess how they align with your company’s, start by reflecting on what matters most for you. Do you care about ethical practices or opportunities for growth, for instance? Consider how your employer shows the same values by investing in sustainable strategies or offering development opportunities.
Step 3: Analysing Diversity, Inclusion and Adaptations
Diversity and inclusion are becoming a priority for engineering companies. Studies consistently show that diverse companies can earn 2.5 times greater cash flow per employee, and their teams are up to 35% more productive.
Unfortunately, not all organisations effectively create diverse, equitable workplaces. Many business leaders struggle to bridge the gaps between different generations and cultures in the workplace, leading to conflict and silos among teams.
Ensuring you’re working for a engineering business that is adaptable, diverse, and inclusive can positively impact your career, opening the door to new learning opportunities, chances to perfect various skills, and routes for growth.
Look for signs that diversity thrives in your company, such as diverse leadership, equal opportunities for all team members and open, transparent communication. Implement strategies to contribute to workplace diversity by actively listening, engaging with colleagues from different backgrounds, and challenging your assumptions.
Step 4: Assessing Flexibility and Work-Life Balance
Up to 77% of employees say flexible working practices, such as the ability to choose when they attend an office environment, are more important to them when selecting a role than a higher salary.
However, even if flexible work is a priority for you, it’s important to look beyond whether a company offers hybrid work or four-day work weeks when choosing the right role. You’ll also need to consider how those organisations support and empower a distributed workforce.
Think about your current company’s approach to managing diverse workplaces. Do hybrid and remote workers get the same recognition and support as in-office employees?
If you’re already working remotely, how easy is it to build connections with your distributed team members and stay in tune with the company culture?
Step 5: The Search for True Job Satisfaction
As mentioned above, there’s more to being happy in a engineering role than ensuring you’re paid a fair salary. If you want to feel truly fulfilled by the work you do, you need to ensure you’re working for a company that invests as much time and energy into you as you do for it.
When assessing your current company, ask yourself:
- Do you have purpose? Does your role give you a sense of purpose? Do you feel like you’re actively accomplishing something, whether making the world better or progressing towards personal goals? Or are you just watching the time tick by each day?
- Are you going somewhere? Do you feel like you’re moving forward in your role? Are there clear opportunities for promotions in the future, or do you regularly have a chance to take on new responsibilities? Does your company invest in training and development?
- Are you engaged and motivated? How motivated do you feel when you’re at work, and how often do you find yourself daydreaming about something else? Do you spend your nights dreading the sound of your alarm in the morning?
If the answer to any of those questions is “no”, there’s a good chance you’re working for the wrong company.
Don’t Settle for a Bad Fit
Work takes up too much of our lives for us to settle for a role with a company that doesn’t invest in our growth, happiness, and fulfilment. Staying with a company you’re unhappy with might seem the easiest option in the short term, but it prevents you from making positive steps forward in your career and life.
If you assess everything from your company’s culture to its focus on diversity and inclusion and find a clear misalignment, now might be the time to consider moving somewhere new.
Working with a engineering recruitment company can help you find a position in a company that shares your values, offers an incredible company culture, and aligns with all your other priorities.
All the best
Steve
At Coalesce we have been partnering with engineering candidates for over 28 years; if you would like our opinion on whether you are working for the right engineering company, then give us a call on 07512 821708 or email us here.