Assessing corporate culture

I will be back blogging tomorrow, but in the meantime, career coach Randi Bussin has shared some of her thoughts. Randi has more than 25 years of business, entrepreneurial and career counseling experience. She guides mid-career professionals and helps them identify and pursue career opportunities that best represent their passions, strengths and goals. Assisting her clients to attract and build a professional and personal life consistent with their values is her passion. MB

Occasionally, a client will come back to me for career coaching after several months on the job. The "too-perfect" situation turned sour because of the corporate culture and/or internal politics.

They ask me, "How can you assess these factors ahead of time?" Although this is difficult as culture is intangible, I do think there are things that a potential candidate can do to get a read on the environment before they say yes.

Before I enumerate, let's step back for a minute and discuss what culture is and why it's important.

Corporate culture can be described as an organization's "personality" and how things are done there. Corporate culture guides how employees think, act, feel and behave. It is used to describe the unique personality of a company or organization and can include such elements as core values, mission, beliefs, ethics and rules of behavior.

Why is this important? Culture is important because it can affect you in many ways--the hours you work, the availability of flextime and telecommuting, how people interact, dress, employee benefits, office layout, training and professional development. As you can see, culture affects just about everything that relates to your work.

So, since culture is so important and pervasive, how do you assess it and uncover the truth about a potential employer?

The first step toward determining whether you will be a good match for a company is to know yourself and what matters most to you. You have to be clear about your needs. Are you seeking intellectual stimulation, a family-friendly environment, a social outlet or work-life balance?

The next step is to use the job interview, and your networking interviews, to determine if the employer's culture and work environment is aligned with your values. During your networking and interviewing, be sure to ask questions to see if you can get an understanding of the corporate culture.

● What three words or phrases would best describe the company/department culture?

● Does the company have a stated set of cultural values?

● Can you describe the environment here?

● What is the company's attitude toward educational and professional development?

● What types of employee achievements are recognized?

Another way to assess corporate culture is to pay attention to details as you walk around the office for your interview. Were you treated well? What key phrases did the interviewers use? Were the interviewers prepared? Did employees look happy? Did the office layout promote collaboration?

Finding the right culture is key to your career success. Think about your impressions of the corporate culture during your networking/interviewing and capture your thoughts after the interview. Pay attention to your intuition and if you have a bad feeling, it might be best to decline further interviews and/or an offer.

Randi Bussin
www.aspireforsuccess.com

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Marshall Brown

 |  August 9, 2010; 6:18 AM ET  |  Category:  Career Change , Career Management , Workplace Interactions Save & Share:                 
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Posted by: LisaJacksonCultureExpert | August 10, 2010 12:32 AM
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