Should You Look for the Right Job or the Right Company?

If you are an aspiring young professional - or are advising one - what do you believe is more important: to get into the right job or to get into the right company?

The "right job" is one that will pay well, offer substantive work, put you under the direction of a good boss, and provide prospects for advancement. The "right company" is one that is well known, highly respected - perhaps even cool, offer good training, and where people and other employers will value you based on your association with the brand.

Of course, you want both. And there is a spectrum of just how great or awful the job is and just how prestigious or obscure the organization is. There is obviously no right answer, but I'm asking you to consider where you find yourself directionally.

asked this same question to thousands of aspiring young professionals in our careers survey and to a cross section of the senior most business leaders across the land. The results:

Among young professionals, two-thirds believe it's more important to get into the right job and a third into the right organization.

Among top business leaders, it's an even 50-50 split.

The fact is this is a challenging question if you're starting out in your career.


I've long had the view that a core principle in career management is to "go blue chip" early. My thinking is similar to wanting to go to the "best" college or university you can - you will always have that as part of your association and that it will create more options from which to choose over the course of your life. And you will have the opportunity to build relationships and friendships with more people who will go onto great things in their lives which will be beneficial to your success. I've also had the belief that if you get your foot in the door at a good organization and add value, work hard, and have a great attitude opportunities will open up for you to move internally.