I have a friend who’s worked for the same company for more than 20 years. He always tells me that the day he needs to find a new job, he’s coming to me first for advice. Why? because in that same time period, I’ve had ten different employers!

I never meant for it to be this way—who does? While I was at my first job, as a cub reporter at South Carolina’s Greenville News, my dad gave me one piece of advice that has stuck with me to this day: “Stay two years so you look stable.” I always tried to stick to that, but between new opportunities, bad jobs and even one layoff, I’ve often had to move faster than Dad would have liked.

Since the arrival of my kids, Gwendolyn and Owen, I’ve changed employers three times. I speak from experience when I say that job searches only become more complex when you’re hunting for one that will support not only your career but your life as well. That’s one big reason why we vet the Working Mother 100 Best Companies through an application that asks 650-plus tough questions.

(See my video about hiring and child care at Working Mother 100 Best Companies)

Nearly 2.5 million people work for these winners. How can you be one of them? That’s the question we aim to answer this year with our story aptly titled “Help Wanted.” We lay out the nitty-gritty of what these companies are looking for. In fact, we tapped recruiters from the elite Top 10 companies to reveal the elusive factors that raise a candidate above all the rest.

At Working Mother, I’m a few months away from breaking my record for staying put—four years! You know why? Meaningful work, good leadership and, when it comes right down to it, the flexibility I need to do the job I love and still make my daughter’s Irish dance performance.