How to research a company's culture so you don't join the wrong company
Posted on September 30, 2020 by Erika Osterling, One of Thousands of Leadership Coaches on Noomii.
Understanding a company's culture from the outside is hard and easy to overlook in the excitement of landing a new job. Take the right approach.
An accomplished HR Executive recently shared with me that soon after her onboarding, there were early signs the culture of the new company was not what she expected and it was certainly not a fit for her. She has already started a new search.
While I was surprised to hear this from an HR professional, understanding a company’s culture from the outside is hard, and easy to overlook in the excitement of landing a new job.
So, how do you find out if they value a warm and friendly atmosphere or is this a ‘get on with the job’ environment? Is it a high energy place with constant innovation or more wedded to their heritage? Does it encourage trust and autonomy or bureaucratic checks and balances?
My favorite approach is to speak to leaders who have recently left the organization. You always need to exercise judgment and speak to several individuals to validate themes. However, likely they will have no agenda and will be open to share their experience.
A few questions you may want to ask:
-What skills are most important to be successful in this organization?
-What types of people do well there?
-Is there anything that surprised you while working there?
-Why do people leave this organization?
