RS LOGIN

Blog

3 Ways to Learn About A Company’s Culture Before Accepting A Job Offer

Written by

A company’s culture is defined by its mission, vision, and core values. These characteristics set a foundation for the goals, expectations, and ethics that define employees’ behavior at every level.

Companies can have a variety of cultures. For instance, whereas some companies have a team-based culture, others support individual accomplishments. Also, some companies have hierarchical management, while others are more casual.

Working for a company whose culture aligns with your values is essential for long-term success. This provides motivation to work individually and collaboratively to reach company goals.

Discover three ways to learn about a company’s culture before accepting a job offer

1. Online Research

Use the organization’s website to research the company’s culture. Pay close attention to the mission statement and careers page to help determine the organization’s values and priorities.

Gain insight into what working for the organization is like. Look for details on compensation, benefits, awards, and other relevant information.

Visit the organization’s social media pages to learn about the company’s priorities. Use your findings to determine whether to accept a job offer from the organization.

2. Employee Feedback

Read employer reviews to determine what current and former employees have to say about the company’s culture. Look for positive and negative patterns in employee feedback.

Use LinkedIn to connect with current and former employees. Ask them to share honest feedback about the company’s culture. Use what you learn to determine whether to accept the company’s job offer.

3. Job Interview

Arrive early for your interview to observe the office environment. Focus on the energy and how the employees interact:

  • Do the employees appear happy to work for the organization?
  • Are the employees friendly to you?
  • Would you enjoy working in the environment?

Ask about the company’s culture during your interview. Consider choosing from the following questions:

  • How would you describe the company’s culture?
  • What makes the company’s culture unique?
  • How would you describe the work environment?
  • What do you like best about working here?
  • Which activities do you participate in outside of work hours?

Focus on your experience during the interview process. This provides an indication of what it would be like working for the organization.

Reflect on the following issues:

  • Were you treated professionally?
  • Did you talk with different employees?
  • How comfortable did you feel throughout the interview process?

Do You Need Help with Your IT Job Search?

Include RightStone in your job search to land your next IT position. Visit our job board today.

Advantages of Doing Your Homework Prior to an Interview

Written by

 

Success in interviews requires more than showing how your skills and experience equip you for a role. It also involves knowing as much information as possible about the company.

Researching the organization before an interview increases your odds of advancing in the hiring process. It also impacts whether you receive a job offer.

Discover some benefits of doing your homework on a company before participating in an interview.

Understand the Company Culture

Knowing about the company’s culture shows you intend to stay long-term.

  • Learn about the company’s history and achievements.
  • Research the products or services and how they changed over the years.
  • Determine whether the business expanded to other locations or parts of the world.
  • Find out who the CEO is.

Show Interest in the Company’s Success

Demonstrate that the organization’s success is your priority.

  • Show you have the qualifications to fulfill the job duties and responsibilities.
  • If you are applying for an entry-level position and lack experience, clarify how your company research demonstrates dedication to the business.
  • Suggest specific ways the company can operate more efficiently.

Demonstrate Interview Preparation

Clarify that preparation is key to success in a position.

  • Show your enthusiasm for working for the company.
  • Demonstrate the value you can provide the organization.
  • Clarify you take the initiative to gather information to make decisions.
  • Develop conversation topics and questions for the discussion.

Express Enthusiasm About the Company

Show you are genuinely interested in working for the business.

  • Demonstrate your willingness to invest time learning about something that interests you.
  • Clarify how you value the opportunity to secure employment with the organization.
  • Emphasize what you like best about the business, such as the fact that it gives back to the community.
  • Show you would appreciate being offered the job.

Prepare Questions About the Company

Asking questions shows interest in working for the business.

  • Demonstrate you want to learn more about the organization.
  • Ask higher-level questions not answered in your research, such as whether the company intends to expand its offerings or reach new markets.

Explain Why You Want the Job

Detail what drew you to work for the company.

  • Focus on how you can reach business goals to benefit the organization.
  • Express exactly why you are interested in the position.

Looking for Additional Advice?

Partner with a recruiter from RightStone for increased success in landing a job. Visit our job board or contact us today.

4 Ways to Make Sure Your Next Candidate is a Culture Fit For Your Company

Written by

In the search to find the perfect candidate to fill an open position, managers will (understandably) tend to prioritize candidates who have the most experience or who have the widest set of demonstrable skills. While it’s certainly crucial to seek out and recruit candidates who have the necessary technical experience, it can also be a mistake for employers to focus only on candidates’ “hard skills”. There is another dimension of “soft skills” – people skills or personality traits, in other words – that are equally important for managers to take into account whenever vetting a potential candidate. By gauging a job candidate’s soft skills and getting a feel for their personality, you’ll be able to determine if they would be a good fit within the workplace culture that they’d be entering into.

Here are four tips for making sure that a job candidate would be a strong “culture fit” within your company:

1. Reach out to references.

Resumes and cover letters are extremely useful when you’re trying to get a feel for a candidate’s experience and background, but they typically will not shed much light on a candidate’s personality or interpersonal skills. Professional references (i.e., previous employers and managers), on the other hand, can provide valuable insights into a particular candidate’s conduct at the workplace. It’s worth reaching out to one or two previous employers in order to get a sense of how well a candidate’s personality would fit within your workplace culture.

2. Ask personality-based questions.

One of the most effective ways to get a feel of whether or not a candidate would be a strong culture fit is to ask the right questions. To learn more about a candidate’s values and personality, try asking some of the following questions during an interview:

    • Do you feel more comfortable within an individual or a group setting?
    • Can you give me an example of a time that you resolved a tense situation in the workplace?
    • What are the qualities that you value in the workplace?
    • What are the qualities of this particular work environment that appeal to you?

3. Give your team a seat at the interview table.

Maintaining a strong and balanced workplace culture is a collaborative process. Each of your employees contributes in his or her unique way to weave the tapestry of your working environment. With that in mind, it can be extremely helpful to give your team members a chance to meet with job candidates personally to ask culture-based questions.

4. Know the role.

Last but certainly not least, it’s important for managers to thoroughly understand the responsibilities of the role that’s being applied for, and in turn to define the personality traits that will be required for success. For example, some positions will require a high degree of autonomy and creativity, and others will place a greater emphasis on collaboration and communication skills. In order to ensure that a job candidate will be a good culture fit within the company as a whole, you’ll first want to make sure that they’ll be the right personality fit within the particular department and position for which they’re interviewing.

Connect Today

At RightStone, we’re working with IT candidates and top employers to make connections that last. To learn more about how to get connected with top talent, contact us here.