At the end of last year I was applying for a couple of positions every week. In an effort to reduce time wasted with companies I wasn't confident I wanted to work for, I came up with a test that I could use to evaluate and filter them. I call it "The Mum Test".
My mum looked after all of us kids, kept the house clean, cooked dinner most nights, and spent her time volunteering during the day. As we got older, she swapped looking after us for working full time. Even now after most of her children have moved out of home she leads a very busy life.
The Mum Test
If I can't see my mum having the time to apply for a job as well as other jobs on the market, how is she supposed to join that company? And if she can't join them, how are other mothers, parents, people experiencing burnout and people who have commitments outside of work supposed to?
This isn't a perfect test, but it is a nice filter to add when evaluating companies from the outside. Companies that pass this test could still have deeply rooted cultural issues and biases. Companies that don't pass this test could have programs to help parents to rejoin the workforce.
What other tests and questions do you have that help you evaluate what companies you want to work for?
Top comments (1)
How do you tell if it's a "Brother That Went To College" or not?