Tag: recruiting

How to spot BS company culture while job hunting

As I research companies during this “Choose Your Own Adventure” period of my career, company culture is #1 on my priority list. Here are my suggestions of how to see through the fog using LinkedIn:

Who ‘Follows the Leader’?

How many reactions do posts from the CEO get and from who? Is it a broad following at the company or a select few? If it’s the latter, that’s a red flag of an exclusionary culture.

Crickets? Or Raving Fans?

What do employees say about the culture on LinkedIn? If nobody talks about it positively, or at all, red flag. I see companies where the employees across the board rave about the culture. You can’t fake that.

I Believe You Have My Stapler

Search for people who no longer work at the company and make a timeline. Is there a constant turnover of leadership? Red flag! Contact them and ask their opinion. People are more honest after they’ve left. Don’t formulate an opinion based on one conversation because perhaps it’s the person that didn’t fit the culture. It’s the pattern that counts.

Remember, you should interview the company just as much as they interview you, so do your research! 

Job sites have not yet adjusted to the new world of remote work

The privilege of working remotely has allowed my wife and I to realize our dream of educating our daughters through multicultural experiences for the last 4 years. I encourage everyone to consider the entire range of possibilities that remote work creates.

As I consider the next stage of my career, I notice the internet has not yet caught up with the reality of a more remote workforce.

– Searches on job sites are still primarily tied to a location. I suggest a range of acceptable time difference for job postings rather than specific locations.
– The job search process should be reconfigured to match job seekers and employers based primarily on skills.
– LinkedIn should add a field next to location in profiles where users can indicate that they work remotely.
– ‘Remote’ should be separated out from the list of locations when employers post a job opening. Perhaps some jobs should be remote by default unless employers opt out.

Recruiters should consider that the most qualified candidates may now be in Barbados, Botswana, or Italy, and adjust their processes, apps and websites accordingly.