Is it pay? Security? Career prospects? A company’s record of social responsibility?
Or is it simply a place where the culture offers a good ‘fit’ with you? Somewhere you feel you can make your mark?
I’m specifically talking about graduates here: What do they look for from a company when choosing a career? It’s a fascinating subject and I’m sure the answer changes from generation to generation. So we decided to ask around to see what this generation’s answer would be.
On the RB Facebook page the emphasis was definitely on career progression and enjoying your job: “. . . try to find a job I love. Something I look forward to during the week” closely followed by those who are searching for international career opportunities. Offering a global career path is something RB is passionate about and attributes a great deal of its success to. In the words of our CEO, Bart Becht, who wrote the article Building A Company Without Borders for Harvard Business Review on this subject: “We’ve spent the past 10 years building this culture of global mobility because we think it’s one of the best ways to generate new ideas and create global entrepreneurs”.
Over on Linked In people offered very diverse answers, from “an ability to contribute in a meaningful way”, to “pay and benefits”. And this great comment from Elyse:
“Personally I look for an employer who is willing to invest in it’s people. I believe that these organisations will be more successful long term and are a happier and more fulfilling environment to work in. An employer who will provide a platform for further training and development to grow you deserve your hard work and loyalty. It’s also important to be working for a company whos values are in line with your own and that you’re working on a product that you believe in”.
In a poll of graduates last year, Wikijob asked the question: What is the most important factor in choosing a job? A massive 43 per cent of those asked said career progression. Which is why Reckitt Benckiser is keen to promote the possible career paths of graduates and show exactly what sort of route you can expect to take through the company whatever function you join.
Personally, I am motivated by ownership and responsibility. It’s about continual developing, learning, growing as an individual. Being given the opportunity to make a mark and to provide genuine input.
That is the sort of career I want.
I also thought it would be a great idea to ask around the business to find out what RB employees say is their ‘must have’ in a job.
“I joined RB for the global opportunities available to develop and deliver”, IS graduate trainee, Prashanth Somasundaram
“When I joined I read between the lines that early responsibility and exposure meant the opportunity to move quickly up the company … maybe I would just cut to the last bit!”, marketing graduate trainee, James Rothwell.
So what’s your ‘must have’ when choosing a career?
Tags: Careers, Culture, Global, jobs, ownership, responsibility
I recently entered RB Brazilian graduate program. As I told in my first post, my must have were:
- international career
- oportunity to move up fast
Here my managers are between 26 and 35. I willing to proove that I can be that successful very fast.
For me it’s definately about the opportunity to take early ownership and responsibility, as this is how you can truly develop useful business skills right from the start of your career. Also (as you can probably guess!) international opportunities is also very high on my list of priorities!