There are a number of important considerations when searching for your next job, arguably none more important than the culture. The culture of a business can be difficult to define or uncover during the interview process. Given this, the chance that you miss the mark on cultural fit is high.
Culture is the attitudes, customs, beliefs and behaviour characteristics of a group of people.
It is easy enough to understand the responsibilities of the role, however cultural expectations require a greater level of investigation. Below are some questions to help you understand if you are aligned to an organisation culturally.
1. What are some of the common traits of individuals who have been actively promoted through the business in recent times?
2. What are the behaviours that are valued by the senior leaders of the organisation? Remember that values differ from behaviours; values change over time but expected behaviours remain constant.
3. Would you say that critical conversations more frequently happen around the meeting table or at the water cooler within this organisation?
4. What is the company policy on professional development and further education?
5. What is the business structure (flat or hierarchical) and leadership style (laissez-faire or autocratic)?
To further understand the cultural intricacies of a business, you could also ask previous and current employees the above questions. This should give you a clear, objective representation of the business as a whole and the opinions held by past and current employees.
There are also sites such as Glassdoor which host a plethora of information about the culture of a business as rated by employees.
All of these tactics combined allow you to build a more in-depth understanding if you are culturally compatible with an organisation.
Once you have the answers it is a matter of comparing your expectations to that of the company you are interviewing with.
If there are synergies between your attitudes, beliefs and behaviours and the organisation you are interviewing with, your decision making process and transition into a new role will be much smoother.
For further advice on finding the right cultural fit for you, get in touch with our specialist consultants.
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