The job hunt these days seems as tough as nailing down worklife balance - even if you have a job. Either way, a number of studies over the last few years indicate that about three-quarters of Americans hate their jobs. So, if you are faced with “down-time” or are completely unhappy in your current position – perhaps you can look at this time as an opportunity to find a “great” job?
Why not give yourself a gift, and target companies that are better suited for your fine self as a human being - working for a company that actually values human capital. If you’re done with the mediocrity of the standard nine to five gig, and are looking for a better worklife fit – you might try heading to a workplace that’s aligned with your value system. Or at least close to it.
Now there’s a website that can help you in your job quest for a small fee. GreatPlaceJobs.com. It’s got a handle on the companies which have garnered the seal of approval from a number of credible monitoring entities including Gallup, Fortune Magazine and the Society for Human Resource Management. It’s headed up by Asher Adelman, the same person who brought you eBossWatch.com and Workplace Democracy Association. Here’s a brief exchange we had this week to shed some light on the process.
I know it’s early in the game – but have you had feedback on the site?
Even though GreatPlaceJobs was only launched a few weeks ago, we are very fortunate to have been receiving a tremendous amount of support and enthusiasm for having developed an exclusive “great workplace” job site.
What types of companies are seeking you out?
In order to be featured on GreatPlaceJobs, we verify that each company has been officially recognized as an excellent employer. Examples of awards that GreatPlaceJobs companies have received are FORTUNE’s 100 Best Companies to Work For and the Working Mother 100 Best Companies.
What is the main thrust behind GPJ – it seems to have a social responsibility component to it – that the value of human capital is taken more seriously at certain companies.
The main thrust behind GreatPlaceJobs is that people are no longer satisfied with a good salary. Other factors such as a positive workplace environment, work-life balance, and flexible work arrangements are becoming just as, if not more, important to workers. As a result, companies that provide “great workplaces” end up with motivated, engaged, and innovative employees, satisfied customers, and higher revenues and profits.
Being the founder of eBossWatch – did this new site fill more of an inspirational need for you personally?
After founding eBossWatch, which is a leading career resource that provides job applicants with additional feedback about prospective employers during the interview process, I felt that there was room for a site which would help job seekers easily focus their search on award-winning companies that have been recognized as excellent employers.
Why was the paid subscription model important for your company? Does this better serve the clients or companies?
Our paid subscription model, in which job seekers pay $20 for a three-month subscription for full access to all “great workplace” jobs, is beneficial to the job seekers as well as to the recruiting companies. Charging the job seekers helps filter out all but the most qualified and serious applicants, which translates into less competition among job seekers than with the “free” job sites, and it prevents companies from being swamped with resumes. In addition, the fact that we don’t charge companies to post jobs enables us to provide a very comprehensive list of jobs at award-winning employers. (There are currently more than 150,000 new jobs available on GreatPlaceJobs.)
