Recently I received this email:

Michael, my last job was 'toxic', in terms of being a fear-based environment, where motivation was through criticism and fear rather than praise etc... I'm looking to avoid that this time around...

(Keywords: engaging cultures, toxic cultures, job search, culture research)

Research: 

http://www.bsr.org/ Business for Social Responsibility might help. You can see a partial list. It’s not perfect. Some companies belong for show, not from convictions, but most are sincere. You might be able to get a list of local companies by contacting the organization. There may be other organizations that I’m not familiar with that have similar interests.

You can also look at the local chamber lists and note the companies of interest. The library has a decent company searching capability. That way you can look by industry, size…. And those searches bring up branches, not just the company HQ.

Questions:

If you Google the company name and “culture” you will be surprised at how effective that is. For example, try “Whole Foods” and “culture”. Companies that talk about their cultures on their websites and to the press are usually good places to work.

If you don’t know anyone who has worked there, send an email to your friends to see if they know someone who does. You can also call company’s main phone line; ask to speak to someone in sales. You will always get through to sales. Say, “I’m considering joining your company, and I want the scoop on what’s the company culture like. I know that people in sales know what’s really going on, can you give me a one minute pitch about what’s great and not so great.” It’s not science, but it can provide some insights.

You can also type in “company name” and “sucks” to get the dirt. You will be amazed what’s out there on the internet (in emails and bulletin boards)

The Interview

During the interview, you can ask questions of course. “On a scale of 0 to 10, how would you rate your company culture?” “Tell me more about your thinking behind the score.” “If you had a magic wand, what would you change to make it better?” The interviewer’s responses will give you more information from which to probe.

To move beyond opinion and get some facts, try “What initiatives are under way to make your company’s culture great?” Good companies are always trying to improve. Any answer that sounds like, “We don’t work on culture directly” means the company is typical with regards to culture.

Instead of rating the company’s culture, you can ask for a 0-to-10 rating of a specific aspect of culture: community, collaboration, inclusion, appreciation, trust, etc.

Overall, the 0-to-10 rating approach is informative and non-threatening.

BTW, I think it’s OK for the interviewer to ask scenario-based questions, but not the interviewee. Whenever you do that, the interviewer will think it’s a real situation from your past and make judgments. For example if you ask, “What if an employee expresses an opinion different from the boss in a meeting? What’s the typical discussion that follows?” The interviewer will think you make a habit of challenging authority.

One way to ask about culture without using “culture” is to ask questions about success and failure. “What’s the best way to be successful here?” “What’s the surest way to be unsuccessful here? “

Follow those up with “can you tell me more?” “What else should I know?” Often the best answers don’t come until you ask the success and failure questions three or four times in different ways.

Good luck.

When you find a company you like, send me an email and tell me how you know it’s a good fit. Will you do that for me?

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Michael Cushman, The Engaging Guru, wants you to master enrolling others in your truth, get the goodies of life, and change the world.  www.engagingchange.com