Selecting your employer

[GooseChaser]

Job interviews are your chance to impress a prospective employer, but they need to demonstrate themselves as a good place to work as well. So I was wondering, in a job interview-- where it's just you or done in a group-- what kind of things could you see in the course of an interview that would actually turn you off of working for that company? What do you look for in general to try to pick a place you'd be relatively content working for?

 

Thank you for your time.

[Maggie4]

I can often tell if the people there are stressed or not. Stress from challenging work is good, and people can still be happy. Stress from office politics and management issues are bad. You can tell from the atmosphere.

[pink_sugar]

I had one employer I really wanted to work for shine me. I didn't hear from them in nearly two weeks after they made ot sound super promising. I sent a follow up email and was ignored for almost 2 weeks after until they sent me a really impersonal email with my name mispelled and generally signed from HR. No personal thanks for my time or anything. To me it came across as very unprofessional. Also, when employers ignore follow ups is a red flag to me. Anything where they act like the applicant is nothing. Also, attitude is everything.

[BroncoFan]

I arrive about 10 minutes early to allow me to see how things flow, even in a short amount of time you can get an idea. Are the employees friendly to each other and do they smile at you (a perfect stranger), does anyone ask you if you need help? Is the receptionist friendly or does she look like she hates her job?

 

 

I had an interview with a moving and storage company and the first of many red flags was the chaos that was going on around me. People also seemed unfriendly, I was kept waiting 2 hours (2 hours) without an apology -- I have no idea why I stayed that long at that point, then had to take a stupid personality test, the red flags were everywhere.

[applej4]

I agree with what Maggie4 said. As an applicant arriving early and waiting in the reception area, you can learn a lot by observing and listening. People gossiping about their co-workers, rolling their eyes, turns me off. I also remember hearing a man YELLING thru the phone at the receptionist. I don’t work for or with screamers. Another thing that turns me off is a dirty bathroom or even a dirty, cluttered office, and BO.

[Got it]

I think it is going to depend based on industry and what type of job you are looking for. I think if the company is a "brand", so retail/hospitality/food, you can investigate their reputation based on their brand. Glassdoor is a good site to see employee feedback (though take with a grain of salt if the company is a franchisor/franchisee set up as feedback will vary), definitely check out the corporate office (if you are interviewing for a corporate position), ask to do a ride along (if field based), store assessment, ask to speak to employees, and really interview the direct manager for the position. If in a specialized field you can get feedback from others in that field, IT, for example, is a very small world and so feedback is readily available especially for the bigger companies. Really understand what you work best in, what your dealbreaker are, and what you want. And go in with those ideas and questions.

 

Depending on the type of position, more office setting entry level, it may be beneficial going in temp to hire to assess further and decide if they are a fit.

 

Recruiting/hiring is like dating.

Edited September 17, 2015 by Got it

[OpenBook]

I can often tell if the people there are stressed or not. Stress from challenging work is good, and people can still be happy. Stress from office politics and management issues are bad. You can tell from the atmosphere.

 

This. In hindsight I should have paid more attention to this, especially in panel interviews where you're talking to your potential co-workers along with the hiring manager and you get to see them interact with each other a little. It's a valuable indicator.

 

Of course, you're the one on the spot in those interviews so it's hard to concentrate on "presenting" yourself and do some intelligence-gathering (like reading body language, voice inflection, etc.) at the same time. You really have to keep your wits about you.

[GravityMan]

I second the Glassdoor recommendation (although small businesses may have little or no presence there)...and yes take it with a grain of salt. It's more useful to look for trends and commonalities in a series of reviews than to focus on any one review.

 

Arrive 10 minutes early and try to get a sense of the vibe. It's easier to do that if you have decent emotional intelligence and can grasp nuance well. Pay attention to how employees act, walk, etc. Employee body language and how they talk is very telling. Good offices usually place a priority on the presentation of the front desk area as that is the first thing a candidate, customer or other visitor notices when they enter the office, and first impressions matter.

 

If the hiring manager takes you on a tour of the building, that's another opportunity to get a whiff of the company culture. Pay attention to the office layout...is it open-floor, is it cubicles, etc. Note tone of voices of employees. Note signs of disorganization...clutter, etc. Note if the office has hints of personality...are there subtle things that show that people don't mind loosening up, laughing and having a little fun from time to time? Or does it seem very subdued, clinical, conservative or bland? Companies with a bit of a fun side tend to have better team morale. Note if employees seem impatient or in a hurry...a fast-paced company that's run well will seldom have cases where people are actually rushed or anxious.

 

Knowing someone on the inside obviously helps, especially if that someone is comfortable being honest with you about what the company is truly like. Many places are good at presenting a nice exterior facade...only to be oppressive and ugly in the interior.

[empresario]

I'm going to go a different route with advice.

 

I am a key operations executive (and own the business) for which I work. One thing I'm very proud of is we've never lost a single employee to another company...despite having to pay people startup wages.

 

The way I've done that is invest significant time developing a culture that fits our team's personality and only hire people that fit within it. Every employee here can tell you our mission, our quarter/year/5-year rocks, our core focus, our values, and our unique proposition. Every single one.

 

That's because we spend tons of time analyzing, revising, and empowering their role to the point that they know what they do everyday and how it will impact the bigger picture.

 

So how does this translate to your question? In my opinion, you only have to ask one thing to know if your hiring manager knows anything about the culture (which reflects how well the culture/vision is built and enforced within the team). Ask them, what are your companies core values and mission?

[Salina]

Firstly, I just want to say this is a great thread. Thank you for starting it, OP, a lot of people are going to learn some good things about selecting an employer. I honestly wish I had thought through things a bit more before taking on a particular position but oh well, live and learn!

 

One thing I'd like to add to the great advice that's already been given is to just be aware of the way your interviewer questions you. It's not so much what they ask you, as it is HOW they may ask you (i.e. how do they word particular questions, comments etc.). How they ask can sometimes be quite indicative of their personality and if this interviewer is going to be your potential boss/colleague, you'll have to work with that particular personality 5 days a week. It's best to just give it a think. One way to see it is, if you were the interviewer, would you have phrased that question they asked you in the same way? They may be interviewers who can ask tough questions but there's a difference between being tough and being judgmental/rude/obnoxious.

[TParker]

Most of my interviews I don't see the staff so I just make my decision based on what I during the interview. For example if they mention a salary or work shift not to my liking I will not accept the job.