The JobSync Blog
How to Spot a Good Company Culture
January 20, 2012
While salary and benefits are important, there are other things to ponder before accepting an offer to work at a company. Will you feel fulfilled and happy at the company? A company’s corporate culture is a key factor in answering this question, but it’s not always easy to separate the good from the bad while going through their interview process.
Recently, U.S. News & World Report looked at ways to spot an awful company culture. We’d like to turn this on its head, so here are four ways you can determine if a potential employer has a good company culture:
1. The interviewer is kind and considerate. While many interviewers are not particularly adept at interviewing, the good ones will ask fair, reasonable, and direct questions. Such interviewers evaluate and don’t judge, nor do they insult or make snide remarks. Those who demonstrate nastiness may be a reflection of the poor manner in which coworkers treat each other at the company.
2. The interviewer gives straight answers to your questions. An interview is also a chance for you to learn more about a company. If an interviewer is open about answering your questions and has no reason to hide anything, chances are this is a good environment to work in. Employers working in negative environments are more likely to conceal information from you or answer evasively in interviews.
3. There’s a happy vibe in the company. When you show up for an interview, take a good look around. Do the workers there appear happy and engaged? Have they decorated their workspaces with personal items, or are individual offices sparse and dreary? Trust your gut and the faces you see around you there.
4. The company has a good reputation. Look for news stories about the company. Do research online and check out company reviews from sites like careerbliss.com. Naturally, those who are unhappy are more likely to write reviews than those who are not, but if a negative aspect of a firm from multiple reviewers forms a pattern, be warned.
So be a person of culture – just make sure it’s a good one!
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