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Questions Job Seekers Must Ask to Reveal A Company’s Corporate Culture

Questions Job Seekers Must Ask to Reveal A Company’s Corporate CultureBecause company culture plays such a major role in a new employee’s success within that organization, it’s important to ask about it right off the bat. Instead of getting hired and finding out that a business’s vision and values are completely out of line with your own, it’s much easier to ask these questions ahead of time. This ensures that your style gels with what the company requires. But it can feel awkward to come right out and ask about company culture during an interview. Here are a few questions you can pose in order to get the information you’re looking for, without feeling abrasive:

If you were to offer tours of your offices, what would some of the stops include?

This question gets the interviewer to highlight some of the company’s major selling points. This could include perks offered to employees, such as a gym, a fully stocked breakroom, a space for naps, or maybe a workspace that promotes collaboration. It also allows the person to talk about major awards that the company has won, and other aspects that would prove appealing to a potential employee.

If a magazine were to feature your business in an upcoming issue, what would they want to be sure to include?

This gets down to the core of the business, including vision, values, company history, and key players. This inquiry can also speak to public perception of the company. The way an outsider might write about the business is different from what an employee would say, so it’s an interesting question to pose.

What’s one thing I’d be interested to know about working here that I wouldn’t gather just from walking around the office?

Corporate culture runs deep, much deeper than just a quick tour of the office space. To get to the core of a business, it’s important to ask this question. You want to know what it’s like to come into this space every day, because it may feel very different than it does when you’re just breezing by on a tour. Ask this question and you’ll get a real sense of what life in this office is like.

Because enjoying a good cultural fit is so important for a new hire, these questions are imperative, and should be a part of any discussion that occurs prior to joining an organization. Don’t be nervous about asking them, as a hiring manager wants to ensure that you feel comfortable there just as much as you do.

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Lauren Levine

Lauren Levine is a copywriter/blogger who contributes to a number of magazines and websites including The Frisky, USA Today, and others. She also authors her own blog called Life with Lauren. She loves cooking, anything on the E! network, and is trying to convince herself that running isn't so bad.

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