I remember my early years of job searching when I was so
excited to get a job, I would go into an interview thinking about everything I
needed to say and do to get that job. “What will they ask me?” “How should I
respond?” “What do they want to hear?” As I grew in my career and experienced
some very positive jobs and a few not-so-positive, I realized the not-so-positive
jobs were a result of the culture of the organization and the management style
of the person I reported to. I wonder if I would have chosen to work at those
companies if I had known what it was REALLY like to work there before I
accepted a job offer. What could I have done better to identify if the company
was right for ME?
One thing I started doing after I had this realization was to
ask better questions in interviews. I now ask questions such as: “How would you
describe your leadership style?” “ Can you help me understand what some of the
unwritten rules are in your culture?” “Why is this position open?” “Why did the
last person leave?” “What is your turnover rate?” I also started asking for a
tour of the company, so I can get a feel of what the environment is like. Are
people smiling? Is it quiet? Is it loud? What is the mood? What are the working
conditions? Are the people interviewing me approachable and friendly? Do they
seem to care? If I had done a better job
of assessing if the company was right for ME, I may not have continued to
pursue a few of the companies where I had a not-so-positive experience.
I encourage job seekers to do some research on the companies
they are interviewing with. Ask around; get a feel of the company’s reputation.
Also, you can do on-line research. One site I know of that provides overviews
of companies, jobs available, salaries and even reviews from past and current
employees is at http://www.glassdoor.com/Jobs/jobs.htm. Obviously, this
information is tied to an individual person’s experience, but it could give you
an idea of what you might face at the company.
Best wishes in your job search!
Kristy
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