I have an eight month old daughter and when coming back to work after maternity leave, some of the people who helped me the most through the transition into a working mother were my colleagues who are working moms. I'm lucky because I work with people I like.
Are you nervous about what an interviewer is thinking of you when you have an interview? Of course you are...you are human. However, you should be more concerned with whether this person is someone you want to work for. After all, we spend more time with our colleagues and bosses then our own family and friends. So when choosing your next company, you want to make sure you like who you will be working for and with every day.
Facebook’s co-founder and Chief Executive, Mark Zuckerberg, has one rule for hiring. “I will only hire someone to work directly for me if I would work for that person,” he said at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this year. “It’s a pretty good test and I think this rule has served me well,” added Zuckerberg.
Okay, so we can't all be as successful as Mark Zuckerberg, but we can certainly try to enjoy our workday. Do you know why most people leave their jobs? Yes, you got it...they don't like their bosses. Not necessarily in a "Horrible Bosses" kind of way, but enough that they will uproot their families to another city to get a nice new boss.
While you are interviewing for a job, interview the people who are interviewing you. Ask about what the corporate culture is like. Ask why the job is open. If the interviewer tells you people keep leaving because of the stress of the job or the client is very difficult or the boss is "interesting", RUN! Seriously, run like Forrest Gump. You don't want to work in a position that has a revolving door.
Also, go on glassdoor.com to see how the company is reviewed. Talk to anyone you know who works there. Read the company's yearly and quarterly results. If the company is doing well, typically people will be nicer because they feel secure in their jobs.
Now I am not saying you have to like everyone you work with. That's rare. Usually, there's that one person who rubs you the wrong way. To bypass this issue, ask to meet your potential peers who you would be working with in addition to who you would be reporting to. That is huge! Then, you can get a landscape of how people interact with each other.
Once I interviewed at Google for a Bilingual Spanish Recruiter position in NYC. I showed up dressed in my black skirt suit that I wore on interviews. Just as you have seen in the media, there were people on segues in flip flops and shorts carrying free lattes and listening to their iPods. I looked like I didn't fit in because I looked like a ubiquitous corporate recruiter and not a creative one. I should have thought about the corporate culture before interviewing there. The people were so nice and laid back, but they thought I didn't fit in with their corporate culture. Don't let that happen to you. Research, research and research before you interview.
Although I didn't get that job at Google, I am happy to share that I love my job at Aon and the people I work with. It's so important to think how you want to spend your day and with whom.
Repeat the mantra: I will find a job where I like the people. I will find a job where I like the people.
Namaste.
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