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I’m preparing for my second interview w/ a national non-profit in a couple of weeks. During my first interview, I was given a flowchart of the general structure of divisions/departments along with people’s names and job titles. Out of curiosity (and research!) I looked up on LinkedIn the 6 people in the division related to the position I'm interviewing for. I noticed that 4 out of the 6 people have only been there for a year; one other person only has 2 years. The only other person would be my boss and she’s been there for 4+ years. Is this a red flag? (But perhaps they restructured the divisions so it seems like everyone has only been there a year?) How can I follow-up on this during the interview without seeming creepy or too forward?
Those short stays could mean anything. Personally, I'd be a little put off by it - that would mean most people are relatively new to the company itself and there may not be a lot of institutional knowledge.
Could people have been promoted outside the current department? Maybe casually mention that you researched the department and noticed how many people had been there for only a year. Leave it open ended so the boss can give you a complete answer (or not) to explain. I don't see it as a red flag necessarily, but I would want to know what's going on.
If I came into a place and everyone is new or newer, I could interpret that as a potential good opportunity since there isn't lots of old politics and people who have been trying to impress and playing all the old games. Perhaps anyway.... Good luck with whatever happens and you decide.
Thanks for the replies. I guess the thing that makes me more curious than anything is that the board of directors election is every few years, so things at the top is constantly changing. Just makes me wonder if the turnover has something to do with that... anyhow, I'll figure out a good way to ask.
It can be a red flag. A lot of people who have been at a company a short period of time can be a red flag, just as a lot of people who have been at a company for decades can be a red flag.
Are you able to find anyone who works for that company that you could talk to casually? Even if they aren't in that department, finding someone you can talk more openly about (not in an interview process) is helpful.
Having worked at a couple of national nonprofits, my 2 cents is that this isn't especially uncommon. People move up or move on, just like anywhere else. And yes, restructuring happens. I wouldn't see this as a red flag. Maybe you'll get to meet some of those people during the interview and you can ask them about their history there. I don't see it being worth bringing up otherwise. Good luck!
It can be a red flag. A lot of people who have been at a company a short period of time can be a red flag, just as a lot of people who have been at a company for decades can be a red flag.
Are you able to find anyone who works for that company that you could talk to casually? Even if they aren't in that department, finding someone you can talk more openly about (not in an interview process) is helpful.
I actually used to work with one girl (at another company) who works there. Before I applied, I messaged her on LI, but she didn't respond until a few weeks later. She apologized and said she doesn't check her LI messages much. She DID say that the woman who would be my boss is a great manager and person (she reported to her at another position). So that's helpful.
I don't think you can derive anything by simply looking at how long folks have been there (and no other information). This may have been the result of any number of situations (both good and bad). For argument's sake - the opposite can also be true - everyone having been there for over 20 years can also be a disadvantage - depending on the type of environment you are looking for.
You certainly can ask the question about the "freshness" of the team and was just wondering if this is a new team, restructuring, etc.
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