Page 129 - John Kador - 201 Best Questions to Ask on Your Interview-McGraw-Hill (2002)

THE QUESTION LIFE CYCLE

Part III concludes with questions you can ask after you have
received an offer—and in the event you didn’t receive an offer—
what you can do to leverage rejections.

IF THE CULTURE FITS
Most organizations hire on ability and fire on fit. By the same
token, most employees choose companies on the basis of salary
and benefits and quit on the basis of culture and interpersonal
relationships. Thus one of your main goals in questioning, be-
sides making yourself look interested and attractive, is to deter-
mine if the company offers a culture that you can work with.
There is no route more certain to lead to despair and turnover
than bluffing your way into a company whose culture is at war
with your own.
One way to gauge a company’s culture is by asking a series of
questions and then filling out a company culture survey. This cul-
ture survey was developed by Empyrean Consulting, Inc., a
staffing firm in Dallas, Texas, to help its candidates determine the
culture of the company they are considering. Empyrean under-
stands that without a good cultural fit, the prospects for long-term
satisfaction are reduced. At this point, take a few minutes to com-
plete the survey.

COMPANY CULTURE SURVEY
Instructions: Assuming you are comfortable with the culture of
your current or last position, complete the survey based on your
current or last position. Then go back and complete the survey on
the basis of your understanding of what the culture in the new po-
sition is. Alternatively, if you are not currently employed or are
unhappy with your position, complete the survey on the basis of
your “wish list” for your next company. Then go back and com-
plete the grid based on your estimation of the company culture you
are considering joining.

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