Company culture is an integral ingredient for success. My team has been reading Barking Up the Wrong Tree: The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Success Is (Mostly) Wrong. The author is Eric Barker, and it’s created conversations about it in our team. When someone is looking to join a company, Barker writes of the need to understand company culture. Job hunters want to ensure their success not only at the job but also within the business.
Company culture is one of the most critical elements of creating a cohesive team. Within my businesses, our team has created a particular culture. It’s essential not only for my managers to see if recruits would fit in with our culture. But, it’s also necessary for job applicants to consider if we’re the right fit for them. If either side misses, the chances are high that the employee won’t be successful.
In the book, Barker writes,
The people who surround us often determine who we become. When we see others around us perform altruistic acts, we’re more likely to act altruistically ourselves.
When you take a job take a long look at the people you’re going to be working with—because the odds are you’re going to become like them; they are not going to become like you. You can’t change them. If it doesn’t fit who you are, it’s not going to work.
Company culture goes beyond compensation
Many people looking for work don’t take into account the culture of an organization. Many who seek a new job consider work responsibilities and what they have to do. They also want to know about salary and benefits. While there’s nothing wrong with these things, an element that is often missed. And, that is to explore and consider company culture.
As Barker noted, when you start working within a company your team is not going to adapt to you. Instead, you will become like your team. If you’re someone who doesn’t like to work in a team and prefers to be on your own, you’re not going to do well in our company. Our team is collaborative and we want and encourage people to engage with each other.
We create an environment of collaboration in several ways. For instance, we team up our sales group. We also use internal communications platforms to keep everyone from all departments involved. Our company culture is not geared to people who prefer to be on their own.
How can you find out about a company’s culture during the hiring process?
There are three ways you can uncover the culture of a business during your interviews. These activities will ensure that the job makes sense for you and how you work and like to engage.
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Find out what current and past employees have to say.
Thanks to platforms such as Glassdoor and The Muse, there’s a lot of information. Before you apply for a job within a company, find out right from the source. Go to those platforms and read what workers at a particular company, have to say. If you’re not doing this activity during your job search, you’re missing an opportunity. Do the research. Ensure that you find a company to work with that aligns with how you work and even with your personality.
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Pay attention to the clues during the interviewing process.
A company signals about how they treat workers during interviews. Pay attention to the requests they make of you during the hiring process. For example, do they give you time to schedule an interview so you can make your arrangements? Or, do they expect you to attend a meeting only when they want? When you go to the interview, what’s the feeling you get from what you see from the moment you step in the door?
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Ask an important question about tenure.
When you interview, you might have to meet with several people. Ask each of them how long they have been with the company. You want to uncover tenure and stability within the company. If you discover that everyone has been with the business a short while, this could be a warning sign. The company may experience high turn-over., which is a warning sign.
When you interview, ask process questions about the hiring process for the open position. Professional companies understand they have to do right by their people and job applicants. Businesses should have a clear process for interviewing. It should include the people candidates will have to meet. You should also learn about a timeframe for notification one way or the other. Finally, there should be expectations that they convey so candidates can manage their job-hunting.
Remember, a company wants to know if you’ll be a fit if you were to join them. But it’s also crucial to remind yourself that for you to succeed within it. You have to enter into an opportunity that you will enjoy. And, you also have to find a company culture that works for your personality and preferences.
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