Job interview, “questionable” company?

Sine Language: Job interview, “questionable” company?
Whar would/should you do if you are interviewing for a job with a company that has been in the press with stories of questionable business practices or practices that do not support your world view?

For example, if you interviewed for google/yahoo but did not believe in acceeding to their censorship criteria, or a company that is restating fast financial statements, or one that givee heavily to the democrats if you are a republican, or a noil company even though you believe fossil fuels cause global warming? A position with the Hearst companies if you believe in journalistic integrity? And so on.

Not interviewing for a senior/leadership position–just a grunt.

Would you ask about any of this as it relates to corporate culture, etc to give them a chance at explaining the issue from their perspective? Or would you take a guilty until proven innocent/high moral ground approach even if it meant remaining out of work or taking a comparable job at, say, 60% of the questionable c

Answers and Views:

Answer by carlottavaldez007
I’ve worked for companies that I have disagreed with on a moral level and it was always a negative experience.

It isn’t worth it. You come in every day feeling as though you are doing something very wrong.

Answer by shogun_316
Take the interview. I wouldn’t sweat coporate policy too much if you’re just a worker. It’s upper management that starts to have to play the game. You think all the people that work for Haliburton are die hard Bush supporters? No. They are everyday people working to get buy. You get the job or you don’t. You can always quit later if it really bothers you morally.

Answer by freshsilver
Don’t settle. Decide what you want(where you want to work) and go for it. Grunt jobs can be found everywhere. This leaves you open to move up in the company. If you have a good attitude and seem inspired, people will notice. A highschool drop out I knew started at an airline as a baggage handler and ended up a vice pres. because he loved the company.Don’t take a job you’ll be bitching about from day one. Look for happiness.

Answer by Tiffany B
I agree with some of the things on here, but one that I know for a fact is you can’t always beleive what the press says. You can’t listen to what people say that’s negative about a company. What I’ve found in the court system is when something doesn’t go the way someone want’s them to, it’s easy for someone to take someone to court, press charges, go to the BBB, file a complaint etc and it does damage to a companies reputation. Majority of these cases are bogus, but they still have to be documented. For trial, if it’s a grid lock, then it gets written down in a way that most people view as a possibility. Again, damaging a companies reputation based on someone not getting their way. A lot that I can say about that, and go into specific details and examples, but I’d be writing 15 years down and I know that there isn’t enough room on here to write everything. But I hope you get the idea about what I just mentioned. Anyhow, Go to the interview, if you take the job you will eventually find out for yourself what is true and what isn’t true. Don’t listen to what “outsiders” say about a company, even the ones that used to be involved. A lot of people make up things for when they are fired, or quit because they didn’t get their way. I’ve seen a lot of that through the years in the coorporate world. Check the company out yourself, the only way to do that is to be there, not reading things, listening to radio talk shows ect. Their all things that people emply negative things based on making them feel better at the expense of someone else who very well could of been inocent. Understand what I mean?
If you want to go further into this topic, email me I’ll be happy to go over things with you.
Best of luck! like I said, email me and we can talk about it further!

Answer by Tori K
This is a very interesting question as I am just looking for a new job and I come across ads where I have to decide between survival or keeping my moral standards up.

First, if you go to an interview in a place you don’t support, it probably would not change the company if you discuss their policies at that time. It would just tell them you are not the right fit. So, why waste your time.
If you know a certain job is against your beliefs, don’t do it. You will suffer in an atmosphere where you constantly question the situation and won’t be able to concentrate on what is essential to do your job. Or you would constantly sabotage the job in doing it your way until you will feel the consequences. You would just loose esteem for yourself and sabotage your career in the long run.
I passed on job offers for tobacco and alcohol companies and I saw a former employer for kicking out a person who asked him to freelance for weapon dealer.
I have not applied in companies, that sport a political view that I don’t share, for example newspapers. I know following my view makes me very selective at this point.

It maybe takes more activity and creativity to find a job where you are the right fit instead just running with the masses for money. Look for something you support, maybe consider even working for a non-profit, if you can afford it. Imagine yourself how proud you would be of yourself when you find the job you want. This is where I would put my energy. Make a list of the positive companies. Support their products and services. Concentrate on where you fit instead lamenting that you don’t fit into the places where everyone seems to run to. It all will make you a better person.