Check out the culture of an organization

Check out the Culture of the Organization

It’s important when you are looking for a job to check out the culture of the organization for which you are seeking to work.

Getting a job is like getting married and compatibility is key to your success. Employers will be checking you out with your references. You, in turn, should check out the employer to find out about the culture and management style of the organization and if it matches your personality.

Here are some ways you can check out the culture of the organization to see if this would be a match made in heaven.

Know your Personality and Career Interests

First of all, it’s important to understand your own personality and career interests. Two tests that you can take to identify your personality and career interests are the Meyers Briggs Inventory (MBTI). You can take this assessment for free on www.humanmetrics.com.

Another important assessment is to identify your career interests on www.selfdirectedsearch.com (very low fee).

With this information, you will have a better understanding of yourself and should look at organizations that match your personality. For example, the Self-Directed Search may reveal that you are Entrepreneurial, Social and Artistic. In this case, it may be very stressful for you to work at a staid, bureaucratic organization that does not value creativity, autonomy and new ideas.

JobVent

Check out what employees say about their companies on this free web site. Employees anonymously provide insights into the culture and management styles of their companies. It can provide some good insights. Of course, one vignette does not a company make. See if there are several comments as this would indicate a trend.

LinkedIn

Find out about the culture of a company by asking information from current and former employees of this company. Go to LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com) and connect with current and former employees. Ask them about the culture, management style, good points, strong points, areas to be improved.


Best Companies to Work for Lists

See if the company is listed among the Best Companies to Work for Lists. If a company is consistently listed, that is a very positive factor.

Get Engaged First

Another way to check out the culture is to work on a short-term contract or project first. This will give you an opportunity to view firsthand the management style, the decision- making culture, the personalities of key players, the team work or lack of thereof and many other things. If it is a good match, then your part-time gig can turn into a full-time job with a company that is a good fit to whom you are.

Interview Questions

During the interview, listen carefully to the questions they ask you. Which questions keep coming up? What do they indicate about the organization or the company?
For example, if questions are asked about resolving conflicts on teams, after describing how you handled the situation, you can ask if this has been a problem in the organization and find about situations and how the conflicts were resolved.

One of my clients was interviewed at a large non-profit. She has a very positive, optimistic personality. During the interview, she was asked if her personality ever got her in trouble at work. What did this tell her about the organization and its culture, its personality?

As if the position for which you are being interviewed is a new position or a replacement. If new, why? If a replacement, why? Discomfort with addressing replacement questions can indicate a problem. Frequent turnover at an organization also clearly indicates a problem.

Ask questions about the company’s culture and management style. For example, how would you describe the management style and culture of the company? How are projects initiated and managed?
What kind of person succeeds in this organization? What kind of person are you looking for?

Ask strategic questions to provide context to the interview and your subsequent questions. What is the current situation in the organization? What challenges are you facing? What initiatives are you undertaking to meet these challenges? This information can give you important background information to understand the challenges and needs of the business.

An Educated Consumer

Last, but not least, be an educated consumer in your job search. Listen to what people tell you about the organization. If you keep hearing the same refrain over and over, something must be going on. Research the company to find out about lawsuits, businesses sold, businesses bought, mergers and acquisitions, profits and losses, stock price over time, management changes, layoffs, etc. Do your due diligence to know what you are getting into. It’s better to be safe than sorry.