Curious about a company’s culture? Ask these 7 questions.

This week, we attended a session at LinkedIn on attracting and engaging talent. The event was held at the Sydney office and was hosted by Katie Clinch and Sally McElhone from the Customer Success team. A special shout-out to these ladies for hosting a great session!

During the session, they discussed the importance of company culture (i.e. a talent brand) and how that can ultimately impact whether or not a candidate wants to work for a specific company.

Prime example? Google. Without even having to step foot in a Google office, most people have an idea of what it’s like to work there; the catered food, the napping pods, the flexible work lifestyle, and the endless games and entertainment options. They are easily one of the most recognizable talent brands around the globe. Heck, they even got Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson to make a movie about it.

Unless you’re interviewing at Google, chances are, you’re probably curious as to what the company culture is like. You may want to consider asking these 7 questions:

1 – What really differentiates the employee’s experience?

2 – What is it like to work there?

3 – How do individuals fit in and become part of the team?

4 – What is the dynamic among team members and leadership?

5 – How is the talent at the company inspired?

6 – What talents and strengths are valued?

7 – What is the potential to excel?

After asking these questions, you should have a pretty clear idea of what the culture looks like (or doesn’t look like). For example, if the interviewer can’t answer these questions, perhaps they don’t invest in this area of the business (which to me would be a red flag).

The tricky part when job searching is that it’s tough to know what the culture is truly like, until you get there and start the job. That’s why it’s important to ask these questions, dig a little deeper, and don’t be afraid to ask for specific examples. Finding out the details beforehand will help paint the picture of what the job is like so you can manage your own expectations and ultimately be sure it’s the right opportunity for you.