If you are looking for the perfect job, you must make sure that the company you are going to work for is a good fit for you. This is a step that many job hunters either don't think of or just skip and it almost always comes back to bite them. If you don't believe in the company that you are working for, it won't matter how much you enjoy your job, the day will come when you realize that you just can't work there any more.
What kind of company do you want to work for?
When evaluating this question, start at the highest point. Do you want a company that makes things or provides a service? Do you want to work for a company that makes things we need or just things we want. There are no wrong answers here. These kinds of questions will simply to working for a company that you WANT to work for. That is key to having a meaningful job.
What size of company do you want to work for?
The big question here is how much influence do you want ot have in the daily operation of the company. You could work for a multi-billion dollar International company with thousands and thousands of employees around the world. While there may be some advantages to the size one of the major drawbacks is that you will not have much say in what goes on. The larger the company the more politics and red tape.
In contrast, if you work for a smaller company, say 30 - 100 people, you will have the opportunity to be part of decisions that actually drive the company. The size lone will give you direct access to the most prominent decision makers in the organization.
Do you agree with the company's mission statement?
In the end you have to agree with who the company is. The company mission statement will lay out why the company exists and what their purpose is. You can get a good feel for what the company's values are. Since you will want to work at a company that you can be proud of, you'll want to be sure that you agree with those values.
If you'll start with these three things as you begin your job search, you will have much more luck finding that perfect job.