You Got The Job! But Is It A Good One?

My last job met every single one of those 6 criteria....and so much more. Thank you, this article makes me feel even more confident and validated in the choice I made to walk away from there before the job succeeded in sucking the last shred of joy from my soul.

Although I agree with some of the comments above, not everyone has the luxury of quitting and finding a new job. It is longer and longer before someone finds a new job these days. I have worked jobs that were degrading or with mean, nasty bosses in order to pay the bills. Paying the bills comes first. However, with that said, I have quit a job due to a supervisor. She had me completing twice the work of others and job duties not in my description. She would sabatage me in front of the Administrator ( and they were thick as thieves) so I got no help from her either. When it got to the point that I was having nightmares about her stalking me (She would follow me throughout my workday and on lunches in the field), I decided with the help of a therapist to quit. I had a job lined up even in that case.

The signs listed are good, but I have to agree with those that commented on incompetent management. Nothing knots my stomach more than meeting a new supervisor and slowly realizing they have little qualification for their position. People like this that have had their jobs for any significant amount of time are likely either related to the business owner or take credit for work done by people under them. Either way, advancement in your own career doesn't look promising. I would venture to say that poor management is a main cause of high employee turnover.

It's very true, a high turnover rate = get a new job! They aren't treating their employees right, or not enough pay, or not enough benefits...

I struggle with how to tell the difference between the job being lousy and the company being lousy and my attitude just being lousy.

My husband is going through the same thing. It is hard when he is the only ethical person at work, who is willing to follow the rules. He went through the training but at his job site he is the only one that follows the rules. When upper management comes in they are not really nice to him about it. I assume it is because he makes them "look bad". His suggestions/recommendations are basically ignored, only to be followed a couple of days/weeks later. Various excuses are given as a reason why his suggestions to do the same thing was ignored. Unfortunately, finding another job is not as easy at it sounds.

My guideline for a good work environment and company is are the middle managers and upper management have the same philosophy in communication, leadership, vision and mission. If you are a manager, are you in line with the company's vision of what you are doing? Aside from personality and work style, do people in the company work towards the same goal and share some similar values as to how to achieve that goal? That makes a difference in the work environment and helps me decide if its the "right or good job" for me. If you can observe and ask the right questions, looking for these things the first month or two you are in the job, it will tell you alot.

I actually find the tips to be a bit much. I mean do I REALLY need an "expert" to tell me that if you see people "running from the boss?s office crying on a regular basis" that spells major trouble? More useful would be some tips that would help me spot the bad boss who is just a touch more clever or smooth.

I realize that these crazy situations do happen. But, although they make for good stories, they don't make for helpful tips.

The first one - not getting some orientation - is a good one. It's not the kind of thing that slaps you in the face, but people who have experienced it know what it usually means...

I'm 52 and looking for a job right now & it's hard to find an employer that will treat someone with my age with a little respect. Most of them are younger & talk down to me....it's very frustrating.

I agree with the comments about your higher up being competent. That's a definite necessity. Also, though, do they treat you with respect and like an adult or more like a child? I've worked at places where the employees were treated like kindergarteners and the overall feel was that they began to act the way they were treated. Didn't work as hard because they wouldn't get the credit they deserved anyways.

It's also hard to work under someone who is simply ignorant. I do not mean this in a self-entitled "I have a 4 year degree and am therefore better than your lack of college education" way. I mean it as it is hard to take criticism from someone regarding your professionalism (working in customer service) when their grammar/spelling is severely lacking to the point that customers actually correct it themselves. This also includes being ignorant of the fact that it is common knowledge, or common sense, that every individual in the workplace has a different personality, learning process, way of doing things, and/or communication style.

I can't work for someone who doesn't hold themselves to a standard of integrity when dealing with customers and coworkers. Yes, we all make mistakes now and then, but blatant dishonesty I just can't respect.

Also something that is hard for me to tolerate is superiority complexes. If you think you work for someone who thinks they are better than than you or someone you work with, how are you going to respect them? We all deserve a certain level of respect no matter where/who we are in life!

An additional sign is if your manager doesn't know what he/she is doing, but you know more than they do on the most common and necessary working skills needed for the job.