When you interview in person, it’s easy to get a vibe of the office. You can observe how people interact, listen for the chatter around the water cooler, and maybe even interview with additional team members. Remote interviews make it challenging to assess company culture, although not impossible! Here’s your comprehensive guide to evaluating company culture during a remote interview.
Decide what’s most important
Company culture is a pretty broad, over-arching term. So, as you’re evaluating companies, it’s essential to start with what is most important to you. Which company values are non-negotiable for you? Are there cultural aspects that you can’t sacrifice? Consider common company culture facets such as work-life balance, collaboration, communication, career development, dress codes, and diversity hiring. We recommend nailing down three pieces of company culture that are most important to you before diving into your job search.
Be a web sleuth
Now that you’ve narrowed down what’s most important, you know what to look for! Now it’s time to do some digging. Of course, start with their website. Most companies will detail their mission and values there. Then, head to social media to see if you can find proof of those in their postings and photos. Next, check out their reviews on social and sites such as Glassdoor and Indeed. Remember to take reviews with a grain of salt, but look for indications of company culture. Additionally, you should seek out how the company responds to reviews – both positive and negative. These responses can reveal a lot about what they prioritize and how they handle controversy.
Ask specific questions
When it comes to the actual interview, you need to ask behavioral questions, but in reverse. So, instead of “what is the company culture like?”, get specific with what you identified as important earlier. For example, “diversity initiatives are very important to me. How has your company reacted to recent shifts in equality and calls for a more diverse workforce?” When you ask specific questions, you can get direct answers about what is most important to you.
Remember, it is possible to unveil a company’s culture during a remote interview. Not only that, but it’s also necessary to determine if it will be the right fit for your values and career goals. Looking for more interview and job search advice? Explore our candidate resources here!
