Finding your best company

Some people might say that changing companies is wrong. In my perspective, it’s about searching for what is yours.

I changed companies three times before the current one. I started in a known Tech Startup, passed through one which was a disaster and was also a freelancer. I do value the company I’m contributing to, and I believe people should try new things to look for where they feel comfortable. In this article, I share my experience of company values I was looking for and how I found them in Vio.com.

👨‍🎤 Creativity

I believe the context, therefore our job, shows our personality and defines us. We spend too much time working to not care about where we are and what we do.

For example, I need to have an environment where I can experiment and create — so I was looking for Startups. It’s not that in Startups you always have the space to experiment, but usually they are more chaotic and open to “thinking outside the box”.

During the recruitment process, I also check the background of the team I might be working with: what did they study? Where did they work before? This way you can try to create an idea of the person, keeping in mind social biases of course and that this is just the first step.

The context, therefore our job, shows our personality and defines us.

Determine which environment is most comfortable for you and search for it. It’s about finding the right environment for who you are, and not vice versa.

💜 People before the Product

In Vio.com I feel that the company cares about their customers. I received so much feedback after showing videos of our users in one of the Demo’s- it was inspiring! I also see their care through user feedback via our Customer support.

Also, I feel that in my team we care about each other and can share feedback openly. Sharing and receiving feedback has become such a big topic nowadays that it even sounds easy. But from my experience, being able to openly share your negative emotions (positive are easy to share) is one of the hardest things to find in a work environment.

People don’t leave companies where they feel comfortable, valuable, and where they have possibilities to grow.

This is difficult to know during the recruitment process, but if it’s one of your values — here are some tips from my experience:

• Pay attention to what questions the team/ company asks you during the recruitment process. Do they mention a work-life balance? Do they leave a space for you to ask questions?
• If you are a woman, check how many female employees are in the company and how many female leaders there are. This will have an impact on your contribution and development (check more about it here).
• See how they treat your time during the recruitment process. Do they provide enough time for the exercise? How flexible are they to postpone any meetings?
• Analyze what your manager asks you about in your first 1–1s: do they ask about your wellbeing, do they help you if you have any doubts?.

Nobody is perfect — nor is any company. However, having some of the things that you value covered during the recruitment process or the trial period is a good step in finding somewhere you will be happy.

🏗️ Growth

Look for a company where you can grow, professionally and also personally. Having a growth plan is an important topic to discuss during the recruitment process as well. However, this varies on how ‘young’ the company is and how their HR department works. They might not have a strict model yet, but they might be open to it.

Determine which environment is most comfortable for you and search for it!

Said that, if the manager doesn’t have a growth plan for you, do it yourself. Thinking about your personal and professional growth inside the company is your own responsibility. Visibility, as much as I hate this word, is important. Having a good manager is a rare thing, so be prepared to ask for what you want.

A healthy work environment is not about recruiting more employees. The retention — this what matters. Because people don’t leave companies where they feel comfortable, valuable and where they have possibilities to grow. If a lot of people leave, it might be an indicator of something wrong.

Analyze what matters to you, where you feel comfortable, and don’t be lazy to search for it. It’s not easy and you might need to take risks by trying something new, but it’s definitely worth it.

Written by Anna Demina