A healthy cynicism never did any harm

You need to develop a healthy cynicism, especially when changing jobs. Make sure this is what you want to do. And do not trust your new employer too blindly.  Many of you view the employment contract as a one-way agreement, and would not dare to question your prospective bosses too closely. Which isn''t really logical, is it?  Because you would never buy a house without a survey, or a used car without an HPI check, in the corporate world you would never takeover a company without audited accounts. Because you might just be cynical that you won''t be told the whole truth. And yet you would be prepared to take one of the most important career decisions of your life without any background knowledge. "Ah" I hear you say "but I am going to join a major company with an excellent reputation.  Surely, they don''t need any checking."  And you might well be right, but all companies vary across sites and between divisions. Some companies have an excellent reputation, but that doesn''t stop them having problem businesses.  Branches with a high staff turnover and at best a reputation for being very difficult to operate in. They may not be the best place to develop your own career. We view the trade from a very privileged position.  We hear many people talk openly and candidly about their companies, about the frustrations and the joys of working for them.  There are some groups who undoubtedly crop up more frequently than others as "difficult employers".  But every group also has pockets of excellence where the business is really well run, where the staff are very happy and where they really get results. As ever, most things come down to people.  Happy and successful companies are generally run by good managers, and poor managers can very quickly create unhappy staff.  So while the company may have an excellent reputation, the branch that you are about to join might be the worst performing in the country and not a place to be seen in. Equally you might love everything you hear about the company in the press, but their vision for the future might be being badly implemented and causing real problems at ground level.  Unless you check you will never know and you will kick yourself if you walk into something that could have been avoided. Be cynical, vigilant and careful. But if the position looks the right move after all that then good luck - give it your all, you'll make it work.