How do you scope out culture? (employee, interview, application, employer)

[mbpharoh]

Hi All,

I am in the process of looking for a new job and was curious on what are some signs you noticed during the interview and application process that gave you hints on the companies culture. What did you notice and how did it end up in actuality?

I am looking through some reviews on Glass Door and Indeed to get a "insider" on what the employees are saying; however, I know that some companies HR staff write reviews to boost their ratings.

[fishbrains]

Employee turnover. High employee turnover usually means it is a terrible place to work.

[jman07]

Glassdoor, turnover, and your gut feeling. Also, if given a tour you can just look at employees and see if they're smiling and seem happy. You should get a vibe from your interviewers.

[treemoni]

What jman and fishbrains said. Read the negative reviews from Glassdoor and use your discernment to figure out what is likely true and what is sour grapes. My employer gets great reviews on Glassdoor. Now that I'm on the inside I know that many people are just afraid to leave bad reviews...probably because if you are not a good writer then the possibility of you outing yourself is high. Definitely ask to tour the office if you have an in-person interview. If employees do not acknowledge you or look at your with suspicion...flag. If the employer does not want you to tour the office...flag. I had one interview where almost all the questions were personality-based questions and questions about how well I get along with coworkers. I declined the second interview. Listen to your intuition. This cannot be stressed enough.

ETA

This is a great video giving advice on how to avoid toxic workplaces: youtube.com/watch?v=To3oF7Yxn6I

[Florida2014]

I also try and find out information on my immediate manager - is he or she single? No kids? Is the job their life? If so, RUN THE OTHER WAY FAST! Those are the people you really do not want to work for. Show up and work hard for 8 hours and they'll wonder what's wrong with you for not working 'til 10pm at night every night like they do.

I know there are exceptions but in my experience I've found the older/single/childless folks are really the worst people to work for.

[annabanana123]

What others have said. If you know anyone who works there that really is the best way to find out. I also ask the questions during the interview that matter to me. I flat out asked about flexibility, working from home, what hours expected, etc. always ask to meet your team too. If you get a bad feeling trust it. Glass door should be taken with a grain of salt...usually only really happy or really pissed people post there.

[Gaylord_Focker]

Originally Posted by treemoni

What jman and fishbrains said. Read the negative reviews from Glassdoor and use your discernment to figure out what is likely true and what is sour grapes. My employer gets great reviews on Glassdoor. Now that I'm on the inside I know that many people are just afraid to leave bad reviews...probably because if you are not a good writer then the possibility of you outing yourself is high. Definitely ask to tour the office if you have an in-person interview. If employees do not acknowledge you or look at your with suspicion...flag. If the employer does not want you to tour the office...flag. I had one interview where almost all the questions were personality-based questions and questions about how well I get along with coworkers. I declined the second interview. Listen to your intuition. This cannot be stressed enough.

ETA

This is a great video giving advice on how to avoid toxic workplaces: youtube.com/watch?v=To3oF7Yxn6I

That and many bosses ask their employees to put good reviews.

[ccm123]

I try and ask someone I may know on the inside and observe and ask questions on the interview.

[captainmidnight]

Try and find out reviews of the company or any other research you can find on the internet. Indeed.com is another site that has company reviews. Look for trends in the reviews and keep in mind the company size. Ignore outlier reviews like "OMG, THIS PLACE WAS HELL!!" and instead look for a majority of reviews saying things like "lower pay than competitors" or "bad work-life balance". Reverse for positive comments.

A review from someone at a global company with 100K employees may have a bad experience in one department, but another department could be great. On the flip side is a small company where people probably have the same experience.

[pittsflyer]

Originally Posted by treemoni

What jman and fishbrains said. Read the negative reviews from Glassdoor and use your discernment to figure out what is likely true and what is sour grapes. My employer gets great reviews on Glassdoor. Now that I'm on the inside I know that many people are just afraid to leave bad reviews...probably because if you are not a good writer then the possibility of you outing yourself is high. Definitely ask to tour the office if you have an in-person interview. If employees do not acknowledge you or look at your with suspicion...flag. If the employer does not want you to tour the office...flag. I had one interview where almost all the questions were personality-based questions and questions about how well I get along with coworkers. I declined the second interview. Listen to your intuition. This cannot be stressed enough.

ETA

This is a great video giving advice on how to avoid toxic workplaces: youtube.com/watch?v=To3oF7Yxn6I

So what exactly is sour grapes? I hear this term used a lot and I don't understand it because if things were happy at a company no one would be sour about it. Does it just refer to people who are grumpy no matter what (like the get off my lawn old man)?


I would not think that most well balanced people would just be sour for no reason.