Most organisations implement sophisticated evaluation systems ensure that their prospective employee is of high calibre. If that is the case, why don’t employees have the same methods to evaluate their prospective workplace?

When looking for work it can be difficult to evaluate an employer based on your position as a hopeful interviewee, but it’s important to apply as much scrutiny as would be applied to you. So how do you evaluate your prospective new employer?

The VRIO Method

The VRIO method is a business analysis framework that views a firm's strategic placement in the context of the greater market. It allows for management consultants to be able to analyse a firm’s competitive potential, and can be a great way for employees to assess whether their employer is truly competitive in the marketplace.

While there are a lot of factors that go into making a workplace great, most people don’t say that they work at a great place, they say, “they’re a great company to work for”. One of the most important factors in keeping a company “fresh” is the fact that they are competitive in the market. Stagnant companies that aren’t competitive often find themselves the victim of a negative culture. People generally don’t progress within stagnant companies, so they become bitter, cynical and unmotivated while the company ends up with a high turnover rate.

So, what makes up the VRIO method?

V = Value
R = Rarity
I = Imitability
O = Organisation

Value. If a given organisation is currently capitalising on an opportunity in the market, it may be considered as offering value. This value translates to customers, but also in turn to staff, who are able to achieve better collectively, by reflecting the value behind the organisation.

Rarity. An organisation may be considered rare or unique for its culture, values, or even products and services. There is a reason why places like Google and Facebook are highly desirable companies to work for, and often it is based on the rarity and uniqueness of the services and products they provide.

Imitability. If a company’s products, services or culture are easy to imitate, it may fall victim to conservatism in products and services. Many financial services companies fall into this trap, as financial products are often easy to imitate by other financial institutions. Consequently, they often possess conservative cultures, and find it hard to attract fresh talent.

Finally, Organisation. This might seem obvious, but disorganised companies that lack disciplined processes, produce not only poor results but are often terrible to work for. We’ve all worked at disorganised places, which often lack direction and management to be able to push the team forward. The result is often work that is a cushy, or a role that is repetitive, or even a role that doesn’t have definition behind it. Disorganised workplaces can lead to toxic environments, and we all know what that can look and feel like.

The VRIO method is simply one method of assessing your prospective workplace. By assessing an organisations competitiveness, you may be able to find your next dream job and dream organisation.

Elaina De Smuszko - Talent Broker, Social Media

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Elaina De Smuszko works for a leading Digital recruitment firm S2M with offices in Sydney, Melbourne and Singapore .

If you are a Digital Marketer interested in a confidential chat, then get in touch on elaina.desmuszko @s2m.com.au