When looking for your first job, it is likely you are putting your best foot forward with potential employers in hopes they will select you. What many college graduates don’t realize often enough is that the interview process is a two-way street. As much as a potential employer is evaluating if you are a fit for them, you should be evaluating whether the company is a fit for you.
Your first real job is the launch pad for your career, so when determining if a company is a good fit, it is important to evaluate if and how they invest in your professional growth. Here are some things to consider:
Training and development
Training and development can initially get you up to speed as you transition from college to your career helping you quickly master new skills that will be important to your success in your new role. In addition to the training you receive when you start with a company, it is important to understand if a company provides on-going training, and if so, whether the skills are transferable – meaning will other employers find them valuable, and will they make you more marketable in the larger job market.
Also, it is important to understand how they deliver training, is it self-paced online training, instructor-led classroom style training, or will you be required to invest money yourself to obtain the materials for the training or certifications.
Mentoring
Mentoring is a tool to help new and experienced employees build their skills while having a great sounding board for ideas, career perspective and support in challenging situations. It is important to understand a company’s mentoring approach or if they have one at all.
If a company does have a mentorship program you will want to ask questions around who the mentors are, how they are assigned and the expectations for the mentor-mentee relationship. If you join an organization that does not have a program like this, you can still identify a person you view as a mentor and ask them to engage with you. As a young professional a strong mentor with a neutral view of your career can be extremely helpful to you personally and professionally.
On-going Support
Support from multiple sources within an organization can provide you different perspectives on challenging situations and unique opportunities to build skills.
Q&A
Question: How should I treat the interview process when deciding if a company is right for me?
Answer: Approach interviews as a two-way evaluation. Beyond proving your fit, assess whether the company invests in your growth. Ask targeted questions about training and development (what you’ll learn initially and over time), mentoring (who mentors are and how they’re assigned), and ongoing support (who you can turn to when challenges arise). Your first job sets the trajectory for your career, so confirm the employer will help you build skills that make you more marketable in the broader job market.
Question: What should I look for in a company’s training and development offerings?
Answer: Look for both strong onboarding and ongoing learning that builds transferable skills valued by other employers. Clarify how training is delivered—self-paced online, instructor-led, or a mix—and whether you’ll be expected to pay for materials or certifications. Prioritize programs that keep content up to date and help you master new, career-relevant skills quickly.
Question: How can I evaluate a company’s mentoring approach—and what if they don’t have one?
Answer: Ask if a formal mentorship program exists and probe details: who the mentors are, how they’re assigned, and the expectations for the mentor-mentee relationship. Good mentoring provides a sounding board, career perspective, and support in challenging situations. If there’s no formal program, you can still identify someone you respect and request a mentor-style relationship to gain that guidance.
Tara is passionate about helping college graduates and career changers launch meaningful careers in technology. She provides expert guidance across both technical and managerial paths, ensuring talent is prepared for the demands of the modern workforce.
Since joining Genesis10 in 2010, Tara has held a variety of leadership roles, including National Director of Emerging Talent Programs and Recruiting Lead for the G10 Associates Program. She co-created the Dev10 program in 2018, which has since launched the careers of more than 1,600 software developers and data analysts. Under her leadership, Dev10 has expanded nationwide, serving nearly 50 client companies and earning the 2023 Campus Forward Award for excellence in early career hiring.
Tara’s leadership is grounded in her belief in the unlimited potential of people and her commitment to building sustainable, scalable workforce solutions. Her work has been recognized by Staffing Industry Analysts, who named her to their 40 Under 40 list.
Before Genesis10, Tara worked at Honda of America Manufacturing, where she led college recruiting and internship programs. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Public Affairs with a focus on Management and Human Resources from Indiana University Bloomington.
Outside of her role at Dev10, Tara serves as Chairperson of the Executive Advisory Board on Curriculum for Management Information Systems at the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management. She is also a frequent speaker on topics such as workforce innovation and diversity in tech.