Identifying Company Culture Before Accepting the Job Offer

Company culture is a very important factor to consider when deciding if a role will be the right fit for you. Culture fit can greatly affect your happiness and your level of satisfaction in your role. We spend most of our waking hours at work, so a good cultural fit should be high on your list of priorities when deciding if you should accept a new position.

Often, we don’t recognize a bad company culture until we have already started the new position and it feels too late to make a different choice. Look for these signs to identify the company culture during the interview process:

Are the people happy?

Do you see endless cubicle farms of sad people as you walk to the interview? Or, do the employees seem enthusiastic and engaged in their work?  Pay attention to the behavior of your potential coworkers. It really boils down to one question. Do they look happy to be there? If the answer is no, you won’t be happy either.

Is the job description clear?

An ambiguous job description or duties described as “flexible” or “able to change” could mean the company doesn’t really know what they want. This could leave you without strong guidance once you are in the role. Without a well-defined goal, and support from management, the company culture could leave you feeling out-of-place.

Will you be paid what you are worth?

If you receive and accept a low offer now, that standard has been set. Companies that pay new employees well below the market value with promises of a future increase, rarely deliver. If an employer undervalues you from the start, that is how they will continue to operate.

Does the company reputation impress?

Take advantage of review-sites online to dig into the company’s reputation. If you find consistently low reviews (not just a couple of angry outliers) be cautious. That bad reputation can indicate problems from within that will negatively affect the company culture.

Now that you know what to look for, you can avoid a company that just isn’t the right fit for you. You’ll also be able to recognize when a company is a perfect match! For help finding a company with a great culture fit for you, contact the experts at Career 1 Source.