A Professional Tip Brought to You By: Tiffany Ledesma, Director – Corporate Services Division

At the start of a new year, most people think about changing their jobs, and as they start to interview with perspective employers, the biggest question they ask themselves is, “how can I tell if this opportunity is right for me?”

There is no guaranteed way to know if your new company and new job is right for you before accepting an offer but asking the right questions during an interview that are important to YOU could help you determine if the company aligns with your values.

Here are a few questions you should consider before accepting an offer:

Is the company culture right for you? A lot of companies talk about their awesome culture but talking about how “awesome” the culture is doesn’t mean much unless you understand what the word awesome means to them. According to NBC News, 35% of workers are saying no to seemingly perfect jobs if the company culture doesn’t seem like a good fit. Don’t be afraid to ask the hiring managers to give specific examples of their company culture. If the responses are vague or shallow, that is a good indicator that the company culture is not great. Having your future employers paint a vivid picture for you will help you to decide if this is the right culture fit.

Does this job fit with my current lifestyle? In life there are certain major life events we all go through, like getting married, buying a house or having children. A recent study by Dr. Adrian R. Camilleri, showed that finding a new job ranked one top major life changes experienced by individuals. When considering a new job, it is important to see how it will impact the rest of your life. Will it change your daily schedule? If you’re accustomed to having dinner with your family, picking your kids up from school, or having an easy and stress-free commute, and the new job creates a change, those need to be important factors in your decision.

What is your future boss’s leadership style? “Sometimes when we’re focused on making a good impression, we forget to ask ourselves to analyze the impression others are making on us,” says Mark Sanborn, bestselling author of The Potential Principle. Leaders are individuals you look up to and someone that inspire change in you. You want to feel confident that your future boss is someone you can learn from and respect. Asking probing questions for example, how do you develop your direct reports? how do you empower your employees or how do you manage conflict within your team? are some ways you can assess leadership style. How they respond to your question will give you a better understanding if this is a leader you can trust.

Knowing if a company will be a perfect fit for you will be difficult. However, part of looking for a new job is knowing what you want for yourself and being willing to ask the right questions in the interview. Being brutally honest with yourself could help you land your dream job.

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