Career Tips: #3: Don’t choose work based on your skills alone…factor in your values, style and company culture
You know the feeling.
You never felt quite at home when you worked for “Company X”. It wasn’t the work-per se but something about the environment that didn’t feel right.
Maybe you were working for a company that did not work for you!
The usual job-hunting process begins by taking inventory of your skills and determining how closely they match the skills that the company wants. Not a bad place to begin, but definitely not a place to end. You need to take a closer look at the company to discern how well it fits with your values and style. For example, if working as part of a collaborative team is important to you, you will feel out of place in a company that does not recognize and reward teamwork.
It just will not feel right there.
You do not want to be one of those people described on your way out, “He/she just was not a good fit,” do you?
So, when you are interviewing at a company take time to get a feel for the place. Talk to people other than the hiring manager and recruiter. Hear what others have to say about working for the company. Dig deeper to figure out the company’s culture and if it is a culture that works for you.