CareerJournal.com Advises Job Seekers To Research Corporate Reputation

Job seekers need to pay attention to a corporation''s reputation because scandals can leave black marks on resumes, according to CareerJournal.com, The Wall Street
Journal''s executive career site. The current wave of corporate scandals has raised concerns about ethical standards in the workplace among both employers
and job seekers.

Job seekers should research a corporation''s reputation before accepting an offer, advises Tony Lee, editor in chief of CareerJournal.com. Working for a company with a damaged reputation can impede future job prospects.

On the business side, companies like Arthur Anderson, Enron, and Worldcom have paid a big price for their lack of integrity. As much as 47 percent of American companies'' net worth is tied up in intangible assets like brand equity and reputation, according to the United States Federal Reserve.
In an effort to protect the financial well-being of workers and investors, President Bush has instituted tougher criminal penalties for corporate fraud and put 200 federal prosecutors to work detecting and punishing corporate crime, notes Tony Lee, editor in chief of CareerJournal.com.

For companies to survive and thrive in today''s economic climate, they need to devote some resources to their ethical standards. Questionable business practices are a clear ''red flag'' for job hunters, says Lee. Even in a poor economy when jobs are scarce, job seekers should research the ethics programs of potential employers before it endangers their tenure, retirement savings and self-esteem.
CareerJournal.com advises job hunters to ask prospective employers the following questions:

Is there a formal code of ethics?
Are workers at all levels trained in ethical decision making?
Do employees have formal channels available to make their concerns known
confidentially?
Is misconduct disciplined swiftly and justly within the organization?
Is integrity emphasized to new employees?
How are senior managers perceived by subordinates in terms of their own
integrity?