A former colleague reached out to me a few weeks ago with a quandary. She had recently joined a well-known company in a Marketing leadership role – and learned a few weeks in the manager, culture, and organization were not at all what she expected. She loves the work she’s doing – but doesn’t feel she’s in the right organization and was seeking advice on how to pick the right employer. The full background of our discussion is here.

We talked about a few things she could do, which led her to suggest the topic would make for a good blog post. I wanted to tap into the collective wisdom of my network so thought I’d pose the question to some smart HR friends and see what advice they have. I got some great responses below that provide valuable insights and action job seekers can use when vetting their next opportunity. I also recommend reading this recent article by George Anders, 11 Ways to Gauge Your Next Employer’s Culture.

Susan LaMotte (Exaqueo.com, blog, @SusanLamotte) 

• Ask to speak to more people in the organization–make sure you get 15 minutes with key team members in all reporting lines
• Ask your potential new boss what his/her day is like–what meetings they have on the calendars and how work gets done
• Find people who have just left the org (previous job on linked in profile) and find out why
• Ask for examples of times things happened that they promise. for example: “that’s great to hear that you’re really focused on career pathing as an organization. Can you provide an example or two of how that has played out for a few individuals?”
• Ask things like “how would you react to me doing _____” and fill in the blank with the innovative idea or unique work practice you’re accustomed to. Continue Reading…