Are you a good fit for the job you want?

According to a recent survey from staffing, recruiting and culture firm LaSalle Network, one of the top hiring challenges leaders experienced in 2023 has been identifying candidates who fit the culture. How can job seekers know if they’re a good fit for a job they’re interested in?

There are several ways job seekers can do that, according to Tom Gimbel, founder & CEO of LaSalle Network, and Maurizio Petrone founder and CEO of Must Read Quotes.

Gimbel says turning to the company’s LinkedIn page, as well as the profiles of current and former employees, can provide information about the company’s culture.

Things to look for include how long current employees have been with the company, if they’ve been promoted and if they share the company’s content and announcements, and how long former employees were there. “Keep in mind that if an employee was with the company for a short amount of time or if there are a lot of employees who left recently, that doesn’t necessarily mean the company is bad,” he adds. “It could mean that it wasn’t the right place for them, but that doesn’t mean it’s not right for you.”

Once you’ve learned enough to know it is a company you want to join, Petrone and Gimbel suggest taking two more steps.

1. Directly relate your experiences to the company’s values on your resume. According to Petrone, this is one way to demonstrate culture fit. “For example, if a company values continuous learning, demonstrating active participation in professional development courses can be helpful,” he says.

2. Prepare questions to ask during an interview. Gimbel suggests asking the following questions to gauge if the company is a good fit:

How do you define success in the role?

What are the team collaboration dynamics like?

What is the training and development for new and current employees?

Why is the role open? “The answer either is the person in this role got promoted, which shows career progression, or it’s a newly created role, which shows company growth, or someone was fired, which gives the opportunity to understand why they weren’t the right fit for this role to determine if it aligns with your skills,” Gimbel explains.

If possible, Gimbel also advises speaking with potential managers. “Get specific examples of how they interact with their staff and ask yourself what type of management style motivates you,” he suggests. He also says to speak with potential peers to ask about their relationship with their managers. “How often do they meet? Do they know the expectations of the role? How is success measured? Also, ask about the training and development they receive,” Gimbel says.

After the interview, he advises asking yourself if you enjoyed spending time with the people you met. “Taking a job with a manager you don’t like is a disaster waiting to happen,” he concludes.