The pay is good. The job seems a perfect fit. It’s in a great location and yet, something, just doesn’t sit right with you. If you ever get that sinking feeling in your gut about a prospective job offer don’t ignore it. It could be your subconscious trying to tell you to look before you leap.
So here are 10 ways to see if the job you are applying for may not be all that it seems.
These days no company is safe from online comment and criticism. Websites such as Indeed and Glassdoor allow anonymous ex-employee comments so check them out; however, do so with a critical eye. It is safe to ignore an emotional rant from one obviously disgruntled ex-employee; nevertheless, if there is a consistent stream of ex-employees criticising the same aspect of the work culture there is likely to be some truth in their claims. Likewise, if you see a lot of negative comments followed by a host of supremely positive ones turn your critical faculties up to ten as this may be an attempt by management to untruthfully counteract the negative with some invented positive.
The hiring process is, or should be, a two-way street: just as they are evaluating you; you are evaluating them. So if they treat you with a lack of respect during the interview process what makes you think they are going to be any different when you are on the payroll?
For more on red flags during the hiring process take a look at this insightful article by Forbes contributor Liz Ryan.
A company that has a healthy, transparent work culture shouldn´t squirm when asked suitably direct questions by a prospective employee. For example if you are interviewing for a tech company that prides itself on innovation and they are unable to respond to you asking about the last innovative idea that the company developed and put into practice? Alarm bells should be ringing.
Not valuing, and acting on, employee feedback is a sure sign of a company with a toxic working environment. Therefore your interviewers should be able to answer some basic questions regarding how the company seeks, facilitates and uses employee feedback. If you find your future employees worried at such a line of questioning it may just be that they conform to an outdated ´us´ and ´them´ company culture.
The previous two points have made reference to a reluctance, or inability, on the part of your prospective employers to respond to your questions about the company and, indeed, a lot of these concerns could come under the umbrella term, ´a lack of transparency´.
If for example you find the company reluctant to respond to your questions, regarding any element of your employment; tread carefully. Companies with a positive work culture will be openly transparent in their dealings in such a manner that their employees feel completely informed of their position and encouraged to ask questions. If this is not the case you have to ask yourself, ´what is it they want to hide? ´
Okay, one more on lack of transparency and then I’m done I promise, but if your job description is vague. If it seems they are adding new responsibilities during the recruitment process. If you can’t even be sure what exactly you are signing up for and how your success will be measured. How can this ever be a good idea?
As Shakespeare said, ‘a few table-tennis tables and a breakfast bar does not a healthy, modern company culture make!
Okay Shakespeare didn’t say that but he might have mentioned it in passing if he had seen today’s office environments.
The point of this is not to make fun of companies who have these perks but rather to advise you not to be fooled into thinking that because a company has a modern-designed, fun looking working environment that they must have a work culture that reflects this. Don’t ignore tell-tale sign such as those listed above just because the office has a juice bar.
This point is closely connected to the previous one and also the point about asking the hard questions. Today every company claims to have a positive work culture but while some companies live and breathe it some only pay lip service to it or as Robert Glazer humorously describes it in this article their ´vision and core values are merely ´wall art´.
A sure-fire way of separating the two is to ask your interviewers about the company’s vision and core values and how they influence the day to day working of the firm. If they can’t answer or seem shocked by such a question it’s a pretty safe bet their claimed core values and culture only resides in their wall art.
Be a detective. Have a snoop around if you can.
What do you see? Employees greeting each other warmly with a smile or stressed out workers eating lunch at their desks? Is the office open plan with easy accessibility to co-workers or a closed off office space? Which would you prefer? Is the working space tidy and organised and on an even more basic note is the toilet clean?
A company can claim the most innovative culture in the world but the toilet still needs to be cleaned.
It might be something about your future boss. It might be the tone of questioning and the lack of responses to your questions. It might even be the state of that toilet.
Or it might be none of the above. It might just be a feeling in your gut that says no.
It is of course a personal decision how much you choose to allow intuition to be a guiding force in your career path, but if it is there, acknowledge it and try to understand the motives behind it.
How much you are willing to trust it ultimately comes down to you.
Written for CareerJunction by Mark Dempsey.
