Marketing Me! The signs of a bad company

Working for the wrong company can spell disaster for your career. Besides, it is frustrating and stressful being at the wrong place anytime.

Besides the eternal signs (finances, layoffs, etc.) there are some other signs of a bad company.

High turnover - Does the HR office have a revolving door? If the average tenure of the employees is six months or less, it might be wise to look elsewhere.

Dirty offices or a bad neighborhood - An banker once told me before he gave a business a loan he made an on site visit to their offices. One of the first places he checked during his inspection was the employee restrooms. If they were messy or covered in graffiti, he could safely say the employees had little respect for the company. Not a good sign.

Who runs the company? Generally, successful companies are most product of the products and services they produce. These companies have innovative product developers, knowledgeable sales persons, exciting marketing and caring customer support people.

If a company is run by "line people" who only care about time on the clock, benefits and grievances, you most likely have a stagnant, unhappy place of business.

How empty are the halls? I find good companies have a bustling and energetic staff. Company offices which resemble ghost towns during normal business hours are possibly a sign of tardiness, absenteeism, high turnover or illness. Avoid these depressing places.

Office space - Is the office open, bright and positive? Or is it a warren of dark corridors, closed office doors and bland interiors. Would you want to work there?

Lack of eye contact - Bad companies are run by untrustworthy people. If anyone in the interview process has a hard time making eye contact, it might a sign they are trying to hide something about the company. I would keep my eyes on the front door!

Bad companies eventually fail. Don't be on the losing team! Be aware of obvious and sometimes not so obvious signs of the bad company.

Happy hunting!

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