For 19 years Fortune has put together a list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For. This year’s companies on the list have over 100,000 job openings. It’s an amazing collection of information. So how can you use the list?
- Explore companies. Have you heard of Cooley, Kimley-Horn, Acuity Insurance, Nustar Energy, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, Ultimate Software, or Stryker? Me either. Use the list as a starting place for company research.
- Find companies in industries you’re interested in. The list cuts a broad swath across industries. It contains software companies, healthcare companies, real estate companies, law firms, accounting companies, and even car dealerships. Read about their work environments and benefits. See what interests you. See if anyone you know works for any of the companies (that’s what LinkedIn networking is for).
- Look for companies whose values match yours. Companies like St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, and Encompass Health and Hospice are on the list. Examining the values and benefits companies offer, like leave to take care of family needs, on-site childcare, flexible work days, same-sex partner benefits, tuition re-imbursement, and fair pay for all workers. Use the list to refine your work values and build questions to ask companies about their values in interviews.
- Investigate which industries have the most job openings, then see if there are jobs you haven’t considered before. If you’re still in college, or considering post-secondary education (like technical colleges), see what opportunities strike you and figure out how you can tweak your path to take advantage of them.
- See if areas of the country that you’d like to work in have companies on the list. Maybe you’ve dreamed of working in Florida, Minnesota, Memphis, Arizona, or DC. Your ideal location might be on the list.
These are just a few ideas. When you start reading about companies on the list, you’ll discover new ways to look at companies, new questions to ask in interviews, and even new industries to explore.
Read Watch Learn
The One Question You Should Ask About Every New Job
