Culture Club Part II: Digging into a Company's Culture

Last month I posted ways to determine the culture at a potential employer during the interview process (Culture Club Part I).  Let's dig a little deeper, and see what else we can learn about the culture at a company you are interested in working at. 


Do Your Homework:  Snoop around online to see what you can find.  Glassdoor has employee reviews of many companies.  Larger companies may be profiled in local newspapers and business journals.  Publications such as Business Insider and Entrepreneur frequently create lists of the companies with the best company culture.  Looking at social media posts by the company, its employees and others can give you some insight into the company as well. 

Crowdsource your Information:  When you are considering a certain company, think about who you know who works there, or better yet, who has worked there.  Ask for their thoughts on the company.  I do say take the information with a grain of salt.  If your friend who is badmouthing the company tends to grumble about lots of things in his life, it might be him, not the company that was not a good fit. 

Ask the Right Questions:  You'll be getting asked questions during the interview process.  Make sure you ask questions too.  Ask questions relevant to the role you are interested in, and questions about how the company manages its employees and how people work together.  For some good questions, look here.

Shadow Someone:  If you are offered the job, but are still unsure the company is the right fit for you, ask if you could job shadow someone in a similar role to you.  My all time best boss offered this option to me during the interview process.  While I didn't do a job shadow, I did call up some of the employees to ask them about the job, about their boss and about the dynamics of the office.  It allowed me to learn more about the company, interact with future colleagues early on, and do my own "reference" check of my future employer.  It paid off!


Here are some additional articles to determine company culture:

• Examples of companies with great corporate cultures.
• Starting a New Job?  Here's how to Evaluate Company Culture.
• 9 Sneaky Ways to Figure out a Company's Culture

Remember, you will be spending a lot of time at your new company.  Making sure it's a good fit early on is very important.  You want to make sure your culture and values are well matched with your future employer. 

Favorite Interview Questions of Business Leaders: Business Insider

Are you gearing up for an important interview?  If so, take a look at my recent post about common interview questions.  http://winetalent.blogspot.com/2019/07/prepping-for-interview-common-interview.html

While researching that I came upon some favorite interview questions of business leaders that Business Insider posted.  I really enjoyed these questions, and did see that often there is a bit of the interviewers personality that comes out in their question, and also in how they interpret the answer.  Take a look at that article here:  https://www.businessinsider.com/favorite-interview-questions-highly-successful-bosses-2017-7

Here are their questions, and sometimes their interpretation of the answers:

Richard Branson, Virgin Group founder: 
"What didn't you get a chance to include on your resume?"

Tony Hsieh, Zappos CEO: 
"On a scale of one to 10, how weird are you?"  And another question, "On a scale of one to 10, how lucky are you in life?"

Larry Ellison, Oracle CTO and Executive Chariman:
"Are you the smartest person you know?"  And why he asks this?  If someone answered yes, she'd get hired.  If someone answered no, the recruiters would ask who is, and then try to hire that person.  Brilliant!

Lori Goler, Facebook HR Chief: 
"On your very best day at work--the day you come home and think you have the best job in the world--what did you do that day?

Peter Thiel, Paypal co-founder and Clarium Capital President: 
"Tell me something that's true, that almost nobody agrees with you on."

Drew Houston, Dropbox founder has 5 top questions:
Who is the best in the world at what you do?"
Who are your influences?
What have you learned in the last year?
If you were able to sit yourself down 10 years ago, what advice would you give your younger self?
What are the most important lessons you've taken away?"

Hannah Paramore, Paramore founder and EVP
"How old were you when you had your first paying job?"

Jenny Ming, Charlotte Russe president and CEO
"Tell me about your failures."

Marla Malcolm Beck, Bluemercury CEO
"What's the biggest impact you had at your past organization?"

Yasmin Green, Jigsaw head of research and development
"How would you make money from an ice-cream stand in Central Park?"

And my favorite, and my current dinner party question that Elon Musk, Tesla and SpaceX CEO has:  "You are standing on the surface of the Earth.  You walk one mile south, one mile west and one mile north.  You end up exactly where you started.  Where are you"   (For the possible answers, go here:  https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-favorite-job-interview-question-answer-2016-5)

Prepping for the Interview: Common Interview Questions

Last month I was meeting with a wine industry contact who is just starting to look for a new job after many years in a highly demanding position.  She asked me if I had a list of interview questions that she might be asked.  Why yes I do, and here they are:

• Tell me a little about yourself.
• Why are you interested in this position?
• What do you know about this company?
• Why are you looking for a new position?
• What has been your biggest challenge in a past role, and how did you overcome it, if you did?
• What is your biggest strength, and biggest weakness?
• Where do you want to be in five years?
• What type of manager are you?  How would your staff answer that question?
• How did you get into the wine industry?
• Do you have any questions for me?

Doing your homework on a potential employer can really pay off.  If you know how to answer the basic questions with truthful and insightful answers, you could set yourself apart from any other interviewee.  On themuse.com there is a great compilation of 31 commonly asked questions and potential ways to answer them.  Take a look at it here.  Glassdoor also have a good list of common interview questions here.

Now, while you are doing your research and coming up with your answers to these questions, there may still be a question during your interview that will leave you dumbfounded.  This is okay, and can happen to anyone.  One way to deal with this is to say you want to rephrase the question to make sure you understand it.  Then restate the question as you understood it.  Saying it again bides you a little time, and also tends to allow you to formulate an answer that is appropriate to the question.

Some interviewers like to ask off-putting or seemingly unusual questions to rattle you a bit.  It gives them a chance to see how you handle yourself, how you deal with things that are out of the ordinary, and also how you can tie things together.  I think it is okay to ask for clarification or get their input on why they are asking that question--if you feel comfortable doing that.  Getting an interviewer to engage with you as an equal can help you show your strengths and cultural fit for the position.

Remember, if you are interviewing it means you've met their basic requirements for the position.  Now you want to get in there and create a connection with the interviewer and show off your strengths for the position.  Your interviewer most often wants the meeting to go well.  If she can find the right talent for the job, she has accomplished her goal of interviewing.  So go in there with that in mind, and help her be successful in her hiring mission.

And, a quick list of some blog posts that might be helpful in prepping for the interview:
http://winetalent.blogspot.com/2014/04/be-prepared-pre-interview-checklist.html
http://winetalent.blogspot.com/2011/12/cranky-recruiter-interviewing-advice.html

If things go poorly, lick your wounds and read my blooper reel for some mistakes other interviewers have made when meeting with me.  Not every mistake costs you the  job.  http://winetalent.blogspot.com/2015/05/cranky-recruiters-interview-bloopers.html

And after the interview, say thank you.  http://winetalent.blogspot.com/2017/03/mind-your-manners-dont-forget-to-say.html

Good luck, and remember to tell yourself you are a winner!  (Read one of my favorite tips on interviewing here:   http://danariely.com/2013/02/16/ask-ariely-on-interviews-luck-and-the-canoe-test/)