When you accept your next job, you should probably spend a little time verifying that you'll really enjoy working for the company. Otherwise, you could end up working months (or even years) at a job you despise.
Even during the early days of PayPal, co-founder Peter Thiel knew that he wanted his team to be "close-knit rather than transactional." In his book Zero to one , he explained that anyone he hired "had to be talented, but even more than that, they had to be excited about working specifically with us."
Thiel built the company culture that has attracted such formidable talent as Elon Musk (Tesla and SpaceX), Reid Hoffman (LinkedIn), and Jawed Karin (YouTube).
Thiel actively sought to recruit people who were wondering, “Are these the people I want to work with?” He understood that when evaluating the interviewees, the interviewees should also evaluate the company, asking “why [this] company is a unique match for [them] personally. And if [they] can't do that, [it's probably] not the right match.”
Not only does this approach make you less likely to hate your job. It also makes it much more likely that you will find satisfaction in your role. It also allows you to build stronger relationships that will “make [you] not only happier and better at work, but also more successful in [your] career.”
But how do you do this? How can you assess if an employer is right for you?
Before you spend time tailoring your resume Make sure your resume is ready to go with this checklist Make sure your resume is ready to go with this checklist Read More is what you are looking for in an employer. What would make you want to spend so many hours dedicated to this company?
The benefits should be taken with a pinch of salt. Health insurance may be something you won't budge on, but free lunches?
Think about the type of projects you would like to work on. How much autonomy do you want? Whether you prefer to work alone or in a team. Whether you want a laid-back workplace, or one that's driven by deadlines Make room for a laid-back weekend:5 simple tips to beat deadlines Make room for a laid-back weekend:5 simple tips to meet deadlines Deadlines Nothing can be more stressful than the big looming deadline threat. It does not have to be like that. With just a few adjustments you can get your work done ahead of time. Read more . If you need flexible working hours to go to the gym in the morning. If innovation and entrepreneurship are valued over systems and processes..
In many cases, what a company is selling to prospective employees is not what it is actually offering. But you should still see what they are selling.
The first place to visit is the "About Us" page on your site. Check if they also have a page dedicated to explaining their company culture or a company blog. From this, you will at least have a vague idea of how the company wants to portray their culture.
To dig a little deeper, take a look at what the company is sharing on its social media pages. This is where you have a good chance to see the projects the company has been working on and their approach to communication.
A quick example of Buffer's site, blog and social feeds clearly shows that this is a company dedicated to openness and transparency.
Employees rarely leave work. Instead, they leave the managers. It's a good idea, then, to find out what you can about your superior potentials. Especially those to whom you may be directly accountable.
Go directly to LinkedIn and search for the company you're considering. Take a look at the profiles of some top staff members. By doing this, you'll be able to get a good idea of whether you'd like to work with each person.
If it turns out they're ex-military, expect some discipline. If they follow the same influencers as you, your values might align. If they have created several of their own companies, they may value a more entrepreneurial mindset. If you have studied an MBA and have worked in large multinationals, things can be more bureaucratic. If you have similar interests, you might as well end up being good friends.
Of course, none of this is guaranteed to be completely accurate. But finding out what you can do about your potential managers' backgrounds and values will shed more light on what you might have for that specific company.
Next, visit sites like Glassdoor and Indeed.com to find out what current and former employees are saying. These reviews not only provide information on how actual employees found themselves working for the company. Sometimes they even share what you can expect in your interview!
Please note that reviews posted on these sites are anonymous. Also, most of the reviews posted online are extreme, based on great or terrible experiences. You're not likely to read much about the "average" experience here.
In other words, don't take what you read on these sites as gospel, but if you keep coming across the same issues, complaints, and compliments from time to time, then there's a good chance there is some truth to them.
A good indicator of how well a business operates is to look at how they treat their customers. What approach does a company take to correct errors? Do they even answer customer questions??
Again, these types of reviews are anonymous and represent more extreme experiences for customers. But if the same problems keep showing up, it may be safe to assume there is no smoke without fire.
You can find these types of comments on the Facebook page of many companies. If you're looking for a more local business, look on Yelp. You can also Google “[Business Name] Feedback”. Finally, you can always search Twitter for company mentions to see what's being said there.
There's nothing like first-hand experience to judge a company's culture. So when it's time to go to your interview, turn up 10 minutes earlier than usual and ramble into the lobby. If you want to take a look at the actual offices of larger companies, see if they have a review on The Muse.
This is a great opportunity to see how other employees interact with each other. Do they walk past each other without saying a word? Do they greet each other like close friends? Do people treat each other as equals, or is there a clear hierarchy? Do people seem happy to be there?
The interview isn't just the part where employers judge whether you're a good fit for their company. It's also the time when you can find out if the company is right for you.
The structure of the interview itself will go a long way. If most of the questions tested your technical skills How to Prepare for a Scheduling Interview How to Prepare for a Scheduling Interview The best advice for scheduling interviews. Any interview can be daunting. Do you know enough to pass? Will your solutions be good enough? What happens if you drown? Apply these five tips. Read More If the interview was about teamwork, expect a lot of teamwork in the role. If all the questions seemed strange and caught you off guard, you can assume that the company likes to do things differently.
Plus, when interviewers inevitably ask if you have any of your own questions, this is your chance to dig deeper into the company culture and learn what Really expected of employees.
You can ask about the common traits of successful employees. You can request a specific example of an employee who has performed particularly well at the company. You can ask what are the main reasons people decide to stay with the organization.
The more specific the questions, the better. And if you can ask for examples, then do so. This prevents interviewers from just getting a cliché answer and asks them to give a more detailed contextual answer.
All this together may seem like a lot of work. But finding out if you're likely to enjoy working at a company before By applying, you could save yourself a lot of time Squeeze an extra hour out of each day with these 10 quick tips Squeeze an extra hour out of each day with these 10 quick tips matter. These ideas can give you an extra productive hour each day. Read more . Not just on the job application, but also in potential months (or even years) at a job you hate.
To go back to Peter Thiel and his PayPal story, as a potential employee, throughout this entire process, you have to ask yourself, "Are these the kind of people I want to work with?" If the answer is no, it's probably not the right pairing.
How else do you decide if you're likely to enjoy working for a company? What resources do you find most reliable?
