Looking for a Healthy Company Culture? Ask Yourself These 3 Questions During the Hiring Process.
Look for a job at a company that has a healthy corporate culture. Discover the tell-tale signs.
When you're job searching, you scrutinize prospective employers from the outside in. But flying solo doesn't mean you can't tap into the perspectives that company employees bring to the table. The folks inside the company you're investigating know about their work culture. And once a company contacts you for an interview, you are now in a position to use the hiring process to teach yourself about the health of a company's culture.
If you can listen to yourself and current employees—team members and managers—you'll have a better chance of catching the positive signs, warning signs, red flags, and everything else in between. Sometimes you'll have to ask for the information you need, and other times you can just observe.
Begin by asking yourself these three questions once you've been contacted for an interview:
1. DO THESE PEOPLE GET ALONG?
Family members squabble, and so do co-workers. But a healthy work environment gives everyone the space they need to work out conflicts in a peaceful fashion.
This isn't always easy to gauge. But team members and managers who get along tend to treat each other with respect. And they might even like each other enough to stay at the company for a long time.
So, consider whether
most managers have been with the company for longer than a year or two
many team members leave the company quickly
management and team members frequently belittle each other—in earshot or behind closed doors
Even if you're not really into socializing with the people at your company, poor-quality work relationships can still suck the joy out of your job. As both symptom and cause of hampered work productivity, soured relationships at work can stifle your ability to work well by creating a hostile work environment.
2. DO THESE PEOPLE DO GREAT THINGS TOGETHER?
Now even if you're thinking to yourself, wow—it's just a job, keep in mind that healthy company cultures actually help people do good work together. Companies that prepare employees to work well empower their employees, benefiting both the company and employees.
Platitudes are not what we have in mind. So, look for measurable specifics, such as whether
a company invests in employee skill development and education
a company promotes from within or is often seeking outside help
a company provides cross-training
a company creates avenues for employees to make improvements in the company
Healthy companies that cross-train and invest in employee education often can promote from within because they already have the people they need and those people want to stay with them.
3. DO THESE PEOPLE ACT LIKE THEY REALLY LIKE ME?
This question might seem like it's overly personal. But before you discount a negative personal experience you had during an interview—or any other interactions with company representatives—pause for a minute.
Unless it's their first day, hiring managers and other company representatives often have some practice with giving interviews and walking people through the hiring process. Giving good first impressions is a part of their job. So if you're not getting a good first impression, don't ignore the possibility that they might treat other candidates—or employees—in the same way.
In addition to your own feelings and impressions, consider whether
company reps give clear, on-time communication during the hiring process
company reps give clear explanations in response to your questions—especially questions about the onboarding process
company reps communicate with you in a civil, respectful manner
Though you'd like to think that last item on our list is a given, it isn't. So, if you encounter a rude, sniping hiring manager, don't automatically assume their incivility is at odds with the company's overall work culture.
If you find yourself wondering if you really want to spend more time at a company, remember that you can always ask follow-up questions to clarify your first impressions.
And prepared interview questions are a good way to get a better understanding of the health of a company's culture.
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