There are many factors that contribute to your level of success and job satisfaction in a manufacturing position. One element that’s sometimes overlooked but is nonetheless important is company culture, which is defined as “the beliefs and behaviors that determine how a company’s employees and management interact and is reflected in its dress code, business hours, office setup, employee benefits, turnover, hiring decisions, etc.” To determine what a company’s culture is like and tell if it meshes with your style, try asking these questions during an interview.
Can you describe your company culture in a few words?
Perhaps the best way to get an instant feel for the culture is to ask an interviewer to describe it in just a few words. This forces them to condense several characteristics into just a handful of words and should be a good indicator of whether or not it’s the type of culture you’re looking for. Besides simply listening to their answer, you should also pay close attention to their body language to determine how truthful their answer is.
What’s your working environment like on a typical day?
Whatever goes on during an average workday can provide you with a window into what you can expect in terms of company culture. Focus on which aspects they choose to highlight and ask yourself some of the following questions:
- Is there good rapport between workers?
- Is it a tight-knit company?
- Are there any opportunities for career development?
- Is there a positive atmosphere?
Why do your employees enjoy working for you?
This question will provide with you insight into the top perks of working for a company and should give you an idea of whether or not you’d be happy working there. Maybe employees receive a lot of nice benefits so they live happy and healthy lives. Maybe there’s great camaraderie between everyone. Or maybe there’s the opportunity for career advancement. Whatever the case may be, you should decide if the reasons current employee enjoy working for the company coincide with your objectives.
Do you participate in any charity or philanthropic events?
If contributing to the community or civic-mindedness are important to you, then this is a good question to ask. Doing so should help you get a better idea of what a manufacturing company’s philosophy and overall mindset are like. It can also help you determine what type of ethics they have and if they’re concerned with more than simply making money.
Being happy and successful in a manufacturing position is about more than just earning a paycheck. To truly experience genuine job satisfaction, it’s important that your personality and style gels with a company’s culture and that you’re fully on board with them. By asking these questions during an interview, it should help you decide if it’s a good match and if you’re likely to fit in. For more tips, read our related blog posts or reach out to the experienced staffing team at Shannon Staffing today!
