Questions You Can Ask to Gauge Company Culture

It might be scary to try to predict in advance if you will appreciate a new employer because changing jobs is a major step.

A great corporate culture is something that more and more job candidates are looking for. Many employees, however, believe that what their employer claims about business culture and what they really encounter are two different things. 

Working with a staffing firm like Employment Solutions is a smart move if you're trying to find a business that shares your beliefs. Our goal is to pair up great employers with great people; however, we can only call ourselves successful if both the employer and the employee turn out to be a wonderful match. To learn how we can assist you in finding a fantastic new job placement, get in touch with Employment Solutions right away.

When you go into a job interview, use these questions to help gauge company culture to make sure that this is the best fit for you!

How do you celebrate employee success?

This is a wonderful question since it reveals how the business recognizes and rewards achievement. It's also fantastic for figuring out whether the company's success celebrations align with how you want to be rewarded for your efforts.

Is receiving a monetary incentive for excellent work your top priority? If so, you'll want to hear that as part of the response! Other forms of incentives, such as additional personal days, employee appreciation, and unique benefits like priority parking or gifts, are well-liked by a large number of people.

What Does the Company Do to Motivate the Entire Workplace? 

While rewards for good work are wonderful, what about the weeks or months when you don't perform to your full potential? What does it say about the work environment's culture if you discover that a particular boss has a tendency to minimize or disparage individuals who aren't performing up to par?

Even if that's what they do, it's unlikely that an interviewer would respond to this question by saying, "We denigrate and mock people who are unsuccessful." But if you pay attention to how quickly they can come up with a response, you can figure out the reality of this.

It's a good sign if your interviewer can tell you about more than just top-performer incentive programs. Is there a mentoring program for new employees? Programs that benefit everyone when the entire group succeeds?

This would be what you might expect to learn from this question.

What Does Workplace Flexibility Look Like Here? 

Workers in a variety of industries want more flexibility. Don't forget to inquire about workplace flexibility at the company where you are interviewing.

Look for the types of flexibility that will make you happy at work. Do you, for example, want the flexibility to change your schedule at the last minute in the event of a personal or family emergency? Is it more important for you to be able to work remotely on occasion? What about working longer shifts on fewer days of the week so you can take more vacation days?

When you ask this question, pay attention to the interviewer's demeanor. Are they enthusiastic and quick to respond to questions about how they provide workplace flexibility? Or does their demeanor suggest that they regard workplace flexibility as an annoyance or unreasonable demand? That attitude reveals a lot about the company's culture.

What Makes You Proud to Work Here?

Interviewers may not expect personal questions about their work experience, but consider this: this is probably the first person you get to talk to who is inside the company on a daily basis. They are an excellent resource for learning about workplace culture.

This is a great question that should elicit an interesting response. There's also an added bonus to this question. It looks good in the interview because it demonstrates that you are interested in more than just talking about yourself and your qualifications. You're also interested in other people's experiences!

Do You Have a Healthy Work-Life Balance Here? 

This is another great example of a personal question you can ask your interviewer to learn more about work-life balance. Don't be afraid to ask specific follow-up questions to learn more, especially if the initial answer isn't very detailed.

For example, you could ask how the employer prioritizes a healthy work-life balance and how they ensure that their employees are not overcommitting to work at the expense of their families, personal goals, and health.