Chief People Officer of BILL.
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Looking for a new job is never easy. Competition is tough, and the number of companies and roles advertised can be overwhelming. The cycle of "apply, wait, response" can feel like riding a Peloton—you’re pedaling, but you’re not moving forward. It's especially difficult for job seekers who want to ensure their potential employer is the right culture fit.
We spend more than half our waking hours working, and I’d suggest at least half of workplace engagement is influenced by the culture of a company. “Culture” can be hard to define. But essentially, it's the choices companies make that determine how they operate day to day. It includes values, how high-level employees lead and manage, how hiring takes place, who gets promoted and why people get fired.
So as a job seeker, how do you decide which job or company is right for you? How do you assess a company’s claims or commitments around culture or values when you’re on the outside looking in? Here are two workplace culture red flags (and corresponding green ones) that you can watch for when interviewing with a prospective new company.
1. The company doesn’t live and lead with values.
From my experience, a company’s values can be one of the best indicators of what it’s like to work there. Values matter. They're the foundation on which a business is built and its customers are served. Values help unite teams under a common purpose, define expectations for employees and set the tone for how people work together. If a potential employer's values don’t align with your own, you may never really feel a true sense of belonging.
Most companies have a values statement, but companies that actually live, breathe and lead with those values are rarer. For example, it's not a good sign if company leadership, including the CEO, doesn't speak publicly about their values or discuss how they work in practice. Values should not be aspirations or placating statements; they should tangibly influence the way teams think, act and make decisions every day.
A great sign of a company that lives and breathes its values is whether your interviewer can talk about them in a meaningful way. You could ask, “What’s a big decision leadership made where, even though it would be a business cost, they chose to do it because it lived up to the company's values?” Values are generally only useful if you always adhere to them, regardless of when it might hurt to do so. Even if the interviewer gives you a great answer, consider also reaching out to former employees who can verify whether values are mirrored in day-to-day work.
2. The company isn’t investing in its managers.
Few things can impact your feelings more about your company’s culture than your manager. In many ways, they're your primary experience of the culture. So even if a company has a great culture, you won't feel it if your manager is an outlier.
Interviews are a two-way conversation, so ask how the company supports manager growth and career paths through training and tools. For example, has it invested in performance management tools that encourage 360° feedback? Does it conduct regular engagement surveys to provide organization-wide insights into how employees feel about management and leadership teams? Does it take feedback seriously and act on it?
In interviews I conduct at BILL, I’m interested in a candidate’s past experience, their potential for growth and who they are as a person and colleague. If I’m hiring someone who will report to me, I encourage them to assess me both in the interviews and through backchannel references.
One of the best lessons I ever learned from a direct report candidate was when they asked me what it would be like for us to work together in a couple of specific scenarios. For example, “When we work together on a board presentation, can you walk me through what I would own, what you would own and who would present?” and “If I were to ask someone in this interview process what you are like when they make a mistake, what do you think they would say?”
Find Your Fit Confidently
It's hard to overstate the importance of culture fit. The challenging reality for job seekers is that you may find your dream job, but if the organization doesn’t meet your expectations or there's a misalignment of values or culture, it can be a disappointing and disheartening experience.
Finding the job and culture that's the right fit for you is one of the best things you do for your career. You’ll be back on that bike and going places in no time!
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