As published in the Winnipeg Sun. Congratulations, you’ve been offered a job! It’s been quite the process as the employer has literally put you “through the mill”. You’ve had a series of interviews, a tour of the company, a thorough reference and background check and you completed a psychological assessment. They certainly know a lot about you but what do you really know about them? What kind of due diligence did you do on this potential employer?

In my experience, I see that most candidates start and end with visiting the potential new employer’s website. Yes, they learned what products or services are provided or what the history of the company has been. And yes, in some cases, they’ve learned who the company executives are, or additionally they might see one or two customer testimonials. But with this minimal information, do they really know their potential new employer?  After all, those company websites are pretty slick and are deliberately developed to make the company look good.

My motto is that you can’t believe everything you read. In other words, your job search due diligence must go beyond company websites or company brochures. You really need to learn a lot more about your potential employer before you sign on the dotted line. After all, just because a company is well known it doesn’t mean it is well run or has a positive reputation in your community. For instance, many high profile organizations have poor leadership which, when you look closely, has caused a high rate of turnover amongst their professional staff.

You need to do as much work as possible to learn more about your potential new employer. Conduct an internet search to find out what you can. When you see that the company has won awards, take a moment to examine the award sponsors. This is important because some awards are nothing more than paid advertising with a “spin”. If the website features articles and/or documents, check out who is actually writing them versus who is taking credit. All of these things tell you a little something about the character of the leaders and the culture of the company.

During your interview, make an inquiry as to whether you will be entering a newly established job or if there is a previous incumbent. If so, ask what happened to that person?  In fact, ask questions about the turnover rate for that position as well as the general turnover rate in the company. If too many people are leaving, it’s a definite sign that something is amiss.

Then again, if your potential new employer is a publicly traded company, you can check out their SEC filings through the internet. Visit www.tmxmoney.com and read about the company's business, recent history, and learn about the current challenges they may be experiencing. Study comments made by the analysts. Pay special attention to comments made by the leaders about why goals were not met and/or what proud accomplishments might have been achieved.

You can also learn a lot about how a company does its business by visiting the website www.jus.gov.mb.ca. This site gives you a list of all of the legal challenges registered against the company in Manitoba. As you might expect, the more challenges you see in this list, the less you might want to work for them.

As well, check out any press articles about the company on the internet. Go to industry specific websites to see what is being said. Use your favourite search engine to look for company quotes in articles or write ups in a trade show. Check out the many professional social networking sites. Check out the organizational leaders; what kind of reputation do they have in the marketplace? Do they get involved in the community? Are they well respected by their professional colleagues? Next, check out competitor websites and make a comparison.

Finally, drill down and use your informal network to check out any other market nuances. Find someone who can comment on the reputation of your potential employer. Try to find at least one customer and one former employee. Talk to these people to get a feel for why customers choose this company over others and discover why employees join and/or leave your potential employer.

Let me summarize. You can’t believe everything you read or simply trust your instincts when accepting a new job. Conduct your job search with due diligence to ensure you are making the right career move. If you don’t research your potential new employer, you may find yourself walking headlong into a big mistake.