Working for a company with a healthy company culture makes all the difference in the day-to-day life of the job as well as knowing how you will be valued as an employee. The best time to learn about the company’s culture is in your first impression, within the interview. When you’re in an interview, you get to decide what parts of the job are important to you, not just if the company believes whether you are a good fit or not. Understanding the company’s culture will be a large factor in determining whether they are the right workplace for you.
Continue reading to learn more about what questions to ask in an interview to learn more about the company’s culture!
How does leadership work?
An important factor of company culture is how leadership functions. Something you’ll want to ask is whether the company works together and if there is accountability, not just among employees but within leadership as well. You should have a clear grasp on the dynamics and who you can go to if one member of leadership requires accountability. Additionally, if you have suggestions, whether it is creative ideas or operations, you’ll want to know if you only have one point of contact to hear your ideas or are there more people who can listen as well.
Is Your Glassdoor accurate?
Prior to an interview, be sure to check the company’s Glassdoor reviews and overall ratings. When in an interview, ask if the company’s ratings are accurate and to explain why. You should ask this question whether the reviews are positive or negative, as it gives the interviewer a chance to explain what their beliefs of the company’s culture are and if they can explain if they’ve improved common negative critiques.
Are any of your clients more than 10% of your revenue?
If a client is more than 10% of a company’s revenue, it can be a catalyst or instigator for bullying which is definitely something you’ll want to know prior to working there. If the company answers yes to having these types of clients, be sure to follow up with a secondary question about how they ensure these clients don’t dictate how the company is run or how they handle these clients.
Are you a B-Corp?
A great way to learn more about how the internal workings of how a company functions, is to understand their overall values. B-Corps focus on bettering social initiatives beyond just their company’s business goals, which can often reflect how they treat employees. It is important to understand what core values exist and how that will affect your work life, as well as whether you personally agree with these values as well.
Are there salary and progress reviews in place?
The topic of salaries and performance reviews can be really uncomfortable, especially if it is not something that is scheduled with the company. If the company doesn’t prepare for these yearly or quarterly, it can be difficult to form the initiative or feel safe to bring up the topic on your own. If the company has these reviews and salary discussions in place, it removes the pressure off of the employee and makes the process much more comfortable. Having meetings like this are great for acknowledging where you are successful and where you can grow in the company so you have no unanswered questions.
Do you provide education credit?
Does your company want you to get smarter, sharper and even possibly take the risk of you outgrowing the company? Education budget within a company shows that they’re okay with your growth and ultimately encourages it. If a company wants to support your education and the enhancing of your skills, that shows they value you as a person and don’t view you as easily replaceable.
These are the 6 questions you should be asking to learn more about a company’s culture. How many of these questions do you plan to ask at your next interview?