Choosing a good job and place to work can be challenging. Sometimes, the way a company presents itself in a job advertisement doesn’t reflect reality.
Recently, I saw a position advertised that looked suitable for my daughter, who is just back from two years working abroad. It ticked all the boxes for the type of high-performing culture where she thrives: a clear role and responsibilities, opportunities for progression, training and development, good work-life balance and regular performance reviews.
I was just about to send it to her when I looked at the name of the company; a large international organisation that’s in a high-growth phase. I know this firm well as I have coached several of its top international leaders privately over many years.
Growth is not being managed properly. Staff burnout levels are high, the hours – across time zones – are punishing and there is no budget for training, development or coaching. Progression happens quickly internally but with no support and little financial or time-in-lieu compensation. These highly intelligent, capable and incredibly stressed-out leaders pay me out of their own pockets to help them manage this company’s impossible demands.
The values and culture the company advertises do not match what’s happening across different departments and managers. It’s not a workplace that I’d suggest to clients, let alone my daughter. Some of those I’ve coached have made very strategic, intentional decisions to move to less-demanding areas or to leave. Others are still sticking it out but have put healthier boundaries on their work, contactable hours, exercise routines, wellbeing supports and leave entitlements.
Avoiding culture clash
How can you avoid taking a job at a company that misrepresents itself so blatantly in its job ads? It’s easy to make a poor decision when information is limited so it’s worth doing some digging to avoid an even harder situation once you’ve committed to taking the role.
Job interviews are a small window into the inner workings and culture of an organisation. They’re a bit like speed dating. You need to ask strategic questions in a limited time to get a sense of who they are and whether or not you share the same values, attitudes and goals. Even then, speed dating is no substitute for longer, more in-depth conversations and lots of time together observing one another’s behaviours.
Knowing where you align or don’t – before you commit to a job offer or life partner – can save a great deal of heartache and financial stress on both sides.
A good culture fit at work is essential as we tend to spend more of our time at work than with our partners or family members. Culture fit is when a company’s core values align with your beliefs and behaviours. Finding the right culture can increase your sense of purpose, energise you and positively impact your wellbeing at work.
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Culture fit is most obvious when it’s not a match for you. It might show up in the boss who emails at 3am, works late every day and expects you to do the same although you have responsibilities outside of work and aren’t paid overtime. Or it could be reflected in the colleague who rarely meets a deadline, shows up late and is never reprimanded.
Culture can make or break your work experience so go into every interview prepared with questions that reveal the reality versus the hard sell of the job.
Where to begin? Before interviewing for a new job, take the time to think about what’s most important to you and do some research on the company and the industry. Check to see if they’re mentioned in newspaper reports, on employment review websites, in court cases or on the Workplace Relations Commission’s database. Also talk to people you know who may work there now or have previous experience with the company as an employee, client or service provider.
Although job hiring processes and interviews tend to be highly structured affairs, you can learn a great deal about company values, including respect, through the hiring phases. How quickly, clearly and consistently are they communicating with you? What kinds of questions is the hiring manager asking and what do they reveal about company priorities – are they just putting bums on seats or investing in your longer-term career? Is their strategy clear? What does your future manager care most about?
Asking good questions in an interview shows your interest in the role but it also helps you gauge if the organisation is a good fit for you. Yes, you’re selling yourself to them but it’s not a one-way street.
Asking smart questions
When interviewing for a job ask questions that reflect what’s important to you, says international consultant Helen Sanderson, who helps organisations build person-centred cultures that combine kindness and high performance.
“Culture is experienced at a team level, as the team a person joins shapes their day-to-day experience of work, so the most useful questions for a candidate are about the team they’re joining,” she says.
Sanderson is the author of the upcoming Psychological Safety in Practice, an evidence-based guide for HR professionals to help create workplaces where people feel safe to contribute, challenge and grow.
“Psychological safety is a helpful place to start when asking about culture, because it describes whether people feel able to speak up, ask for help and admit mistakes at work,” she says.
The five foundations for psychological safety (mattering, clarity, voice, connection and learning) give candidates structure for their questions, too.
Think about what you need thrive at work: is it progression, training and continuing development, teamwork, innovation or recognition?
“The three to five questions you ask really depend on what your personal preferences are, or your anxiety is, from what you’ve experienced in the past.”
Mattering: “How does the team recognise each other’s work (team shout-outs or celebrations) when things go well?” and “how does the team usually find out that their work made a difference?”
Clarity: “How are team decisions made and who is involved in them?” and “how will I know what is expected of me in this role, and which decisions are mine to make?”
Voice: “How does the team find out about decisions, and what opportunities do people have to share their views beforehand?” and “when someone in the team has an idea for doing things differently, what usually happens to it?”
Connection: “How do new starters get to know the team?” and “how are differences of opinion between colleagues usually talked through?”
Learning: “How does the team review what went well and what to change, for example after a busy period or a new piece of work?” and “when something goes wrong, how does the team usually talk about it and decide what to do differently?”
Don’t settle for a general answer – ask for specific examples and clarity on the budget for each individual or team benefit. This adds credibility to your interview process because it shows you know about culture and performance.
Candidates might also ask: “Has the team talked about the behaviours they want from each other, and are those written down anywhere?”
Good questions – and honest answers – will lead to better choices for you and the company.
Margaret E Ward is chief executive of Clear Eye, a leadership consultancy. margaret@cleareye.ie
