How To Gauge If A Company Is The Right Fit For You

The best advice I have received as a fresh grad going through endless interviews was that in an interview, the company isn’t just the one interviewing you, but you are interviewing them too. Needless to say, this advice changed my entire perspective of what a professional career means – that value needs to be contributed by both ends. 

And so here’s a scenario: You’re a fresh grad, straight out of college. You’ve had a good track record as a student – always acing your subjects, active in all activities and overall was the best student that all lecturers favoured. Fast forward a few years – you’re sitting in a small room, with your resume placed neatly in front of you, as you stare at the interviewer in front of you. Everything is going well and you are sensing that it’s about to come to an end. The interviewer smiles and asks, do you have any questions for me?

You smile, uttering confidently, yes, I do in fact. I’d love to really know how this company is the right fit for me.

1. Knowing that there’s a lot of discussion in terms of the disparity in treatment between women and the younger generation in the workforce, how are they essentially being treated in this company?

This question helps you understand how the different individuals are perceived and treated in a company. For the longest time, women and the younger generation are sidelined and essentially, not being treated equally. They are treated differently like being undermined when sharing opinions, not getting adequate or equal benefits and can even be expected to contribute so much more but be given so much less. Thus, this question helps frame an understanding of whether women and the younger generation are respected in a company.

2. What are the career advancements and benefits like in this company?

In some companies, no matter how great you are at your job, there are those that can still get stifled in terms of career advancements. Knowing the career advancements and benefits in a company not only helps you better plan and understand your career trajectory, but it also gives room for you to discuss and negotiate your contract better. For instance, if you are an expert at digital marketing, you can use the opportunity to seek appropriate benefits following your expertise such as getting special ad accounts for digital marketing trials.

3. What are some of the reasons your company experiences turnovers?

Through this question, you will be able to gauge what exactly is the working situation like in the company. Depending on the size and nature of companies, employee turnovers can at times be questionable. For bigger companies, employee turnovers could be caused by new opportunities; while smaller ones may be due to intense and heavy workloads. That is why it is important to know the setting you are stepping into, to get yourselves prepared. When asking the question, take the time to analyse how open the interviewer is when sharing about any previous employees leaving; as a genuine employer with good values, they would wholeheartedly support employees even when a better opportunity comes.

4. What is the training like for new employees? Is there strategic training in place every quarter of the year for employees?

Truth be told, the process of learning does not end when you start work. As you enter the workforce, you’ll soon learn that it is a new environment and system that you are clueless about. A company that is committed to contributing value to its employees will ensure that there is proper training so that the new employees are aware of what is encouraged and discouraged. Aside from that, as you have spent some time in a company, you’ll learn that upskilling is necessary as you level up to a new position. And if a company does not have the resources or even understand that training should be done for upskilling, it’s a definite red flag.

All in all, there are good and bad sides to a company. And chances are, it will be almost impossible to find a company that ticks all the boxes. Therefore, it is important to align your needs when you are actively applying for jobs at companies by asking the right questions.