How to assess company culture to find the best fit

It can be hard to know what’s going on inside — from the outside—but these strategies can help

magine that you’ve found your dream job, got the offer, and you said yes. Now you’re there—and the company culture is a nightmare. Maybe they expect you to work around the clock. Maybe they’re asking you to do unethical things. Maybe it’s just not the right place for you.

You’re not alone. According to a Monster survey, three in four Americans (75%) have had a job where they didn’t feel they were a good fit for the company, and half (51%) have felt this way in two or more jobs.

In Monster’s Grads to Candidates virtual career panel, Meredith Saeger, director of organization development for Jebbit, talked about the importance of working for a company that embraces you for who you are. “You don’t want to go somewhere where they’re going to ask you to fit within an existing same box,” she says. “You want to go somewhere where you’re going to be able to positively impact and change the culture and make it broader and more inclusive and better for everybody.”

It’s useful to understand what kind of company culture you’re walking into, but as an interviewee, the situation isn’t always clear. Luckily, there are ways to sniff out a toxic workplace or an environment that’s just not for you. Try these steps to get the real scoop.

BEFORE THE INTERVIEW Understand yourself

Before you can determine whether a company’s culture is a good fit, it’s helpful to do some soul searching to learn what it is you’re seeking.

“I encourage my clients to think about when they had a great job,” says Elene Cafasso, president and founder of Enerpace, Inc. Executive Coaching in the Chicago area. “When the culture was just perfect for them, what was it they really enjoyed?”

On the flip side, if you’ve left a place because of the culture, what is it you’re missing? The more you can identify what qualities you value in a company—a sense of community, say, or co-workers you’re happy to spend time with outside of work— the better equipped you’ll be to find a job that matches up.

Check the company website

This may seem like a no-brainer, but don’t just check out the home page. “We share our values on our career site,” Eileen Stanton, senior staffing consultant for Eversource, told Monster’s virtual career panel. “You can see the employee resource groups that we have.”

Poke around and think about the look and feel of the site. How are people in the photos dressed? Does that fit you and your personality? The same goes for the company blog. Is it fun and casual, or does it seem more formal?

Take a look at the people at the top of the company. “Is the leadership team wearing suits and ties or are they wearing jeans and T-shirts?” says Todd Cherches, CEO and co-founder of executive coaching firm BigBlueGumball. If you’re looking for a jeans culture and the company seems like a suit-and-tie kind of place, you may want to reconsider.

Andrew Caravella, VP of global partnerships for Sprout Social, expanded on the definition of culture fit during Monster’s virtual career panel. “Don’t just think about culture of like, ‘Is this a fun place to be?’ That’s I think too limiting,” he says. “Certainly there’s cultural fit around diversity, equity, and inclusion. There’s also a cultural fit in terms of how people behave, how they give feedback, what meetings are like. Do you feel like this is a good place for you to be added from an organizational standpoint?”

Search your connections

Do you know anyone who works there, or who has worked there recently? Or do you know someone who knows someone? The best way is to use your social network and see if you can find any first- or second-degree connections that are at that company. If you can find someone, get their take on the work culture there.

You can also tap into your college alumni network. See if there’s an alumnus who would give you a five-minute phone call to answer some of your questions.

Last, check Monster’s Company Guide for reviews of the company. “Understand that many times, it’s disgruntled people [that weigh in], but it at least gives you a heads up on things you might want to probe about,” Cafasso says.

AT THE INTERVIEW Interview the interviewer

During your interview, not only can you ask questions of your interviewer, you should. “Culture is probably the number one area where you should interview the company as much as they interview you,” says Saeger.

You can glean quite a bit not only from the answers to your questions, but also from the candor with which that person answers them. Here are some suggestions:

• “What drew you to the company?” Keep in mind that they were on the other side of the interview situation at one point. Ask them what made them want to work there, and what do they like most and least about working there? “You can get a sense of whether they’re open and honest or if they’re spinning the company line,” Cherches says.

• “What’s happening within the business that created this role?” Are you replacing someone or is it a new position? If you’re replacing someone, what happened to them? And what could your predecessor have done better?

• “What does success look like in this role?” And where have others in this role advanced to within the company? “The answer has less to do with the specific role and more to do with the company’s culture of advancement,” says Eli Howayeck, a career coach and founder of Crafted Career Concepts in Milwaukee.

• “What does initial training look like for this role?” “The answer to this will guide how the company is going to treat you as a new person and hold your hand in that early learning curve,” Howayeck says.

• “How does training and development work here?” In other words, are they making an investment in you and your future? “You want to train people so they’re skilled enough to leave but create a culture that makes them want to stay,” Cherches says. “Some companies have the opposite approach—‘What if we train them and they leave?’ You want a company that will invest in you and your future but also entice you to stay there.”

• “What would you change?” “Not everyone is super verbal, but if the interviewer says ‘Nothing,’ that’s a red flag,” Howayeck says. “It’s a sign of lack of ownership and accountability. This helps us understand the openness of the culture and communication.”

Listen to your gut

If you’ve asked all the questions and talked to as many sources as possible and you’re still not feeling quite right about the opportunity, that’s something to think about. But if everything matches up, you may be in the right place.

“I talk to people about finding alignment between their head, their heart, and their gut,” Howayeck says. “If all three are aligned and saying ‘Yes,’ there’s a good chance you should go after that job and take it.”

Keep your options open

Not every offer is going to be the best one, and not every company is the right fit for everyone. Making that match can be tricky. Could you use some help with your job search? Join Monster for free today. As a member, you’ll get customized job alerts sent right to your inbox, so you’ll spend less time combing through job ads. Additionally, you can upload up to five versions of your resume—each tailored to different types of jobs that appeal to you. Recruiters search Monster every day looking to fill top jobs with qualified candidates, just like you.