How to Get the Inside Scoop on a Company’s Work Culture
What do you look for in an employer? It’s easy to get sidetracked solely by lucrative financial perks, but it’s important to look at the big picture and know what you’re signing up for. You might find yourself working 100 hours a week with no weekends and no personal life. Would the money be worth it? Finding an employer with the right cultural fit is just as important for your career as it is for your health.
How Company Culture Affects Your Performance
Having an employer with compatible values and a conducive work culture will allow you to thrive professionally and personally. If you’re a natural extrovert with lots of creative ideas, you’ll want to stay away from a traditional organisation where employees are expected to do as they’re told, or you’ll end up feeling stifled and frustrated, which is bad for you and bad for the company.
Finding an employer who will appreciate your ideas and skills and treat you as valued employee will do more for your career growth and personal development than a well-paid job that makes you miserable.
That said, how do you go about evaluating a company’s work culture and how can you tell if it’s the right fit for you?
How to Get the Inside Scoop
Here are a few ways you can get the inside scoop on an organisation:
Online Reviews
You could start with online reviews of the organisation, and remember not to limit it to employee reviews. Find out what their customers are saying about them too, if possible. For company reviews by employees, JobStreet.com offers an online resource for the following countries:
Current and past employees
Ask your friends and family if they know anyone who’s currently working there, or who used to work there. Chances are someone you know will have a friend or relative who’s a current or past employee. That’s the best way to find out what the culture is like. Personal connections will be more forthcoming in sharing their experience with you.
Social media
You can also check out the company’s social media activities to see how they respond to public comments and customer enquiries, and to get an idea of their brand reputation. The way a company communicates with the public says a lot about their culture.
The interview
After you’ve done your research, go for the interview with a list of questions about the way they operate and their brand values. Bear in mind that the interview process exists for the benefit of both parties — you’re there to evaluate them as a potential employer too. Having done your own research in advance, you can then compare their responses with what you’ve learned from other sources.
But what questions should you be asking, and how should you phrase those questions to remain neutral and professional? Here are 5 questions on company culture you need to ask during an interview.
Is company culture an important factor for you when considering a job offer? Pretty sure it's on everyone's mind. Why not help each other out by sharing reviews of your current or past employer(s) in the relevant links below.
