Spotting Company Culture When Interviewing

The following post explores Spotting Company Culture When Interviewing.

Some jobs look perfect on paper, but the minute you step into the role, something feels off. Other jobs click immediately. You feel a sense of confidence and belonging from day one.

Read: Understanding AI Scored Interviews

Related: Why Informational Interviews Are Useful

Company culture plays a big role on employee satisfaction. Noticing company culture during interviews is key. It can save frustration and help you find a place where you’ll thrive.

Here’s what you need to know.

What Company Culture Really Means

Culture is the set of patterns, behaviors, and norms that define how a company operates.

It shows in how people communicate, make decisions, and solve problems. Even individual teams have a culture, whether it is cohesive and supportive or fragmented and siloed.

For instance, a team where information is shared openly and decisions are collaborative creates a very different experience than one where people work in silos and decisions are top-down. Even subtle patterns like this shape every employee’s day-to-day experience.

Why Culture Matters for Job Seekers

Culture affects virtually everything at your job including how you interact with colleagues, how your contributions are recognized, and how your career develops.

Joining a company with a bad culture can make your experience frustrating and limit long-term growth. Conversely, a good company culture can make it easier to succeed.

Identifying and reflecting on a company’s culture is an important thing to do before you accept a role. It affects not just your day-to-day work, but also your growth potential.

Paying attention during interviews, asking the right questions, and observing patterns allows you to make an informed choice. Culture isn’t just a box to check…it’s the foundation of your work life.

Before interviews, I recommend creating a mental checklist of what matters most to you with respect to company culture. Once you’ve identified your priorities, you may approach the interview process with clarity.

How to Spot Culture During Interviews

Spotting culture requires careful observation and specific questions.

Ask how the team communicates day-to-day, how decisions get made, how feedback is shared, and how new employees are integrated. Pay attention not just to the answers, but how people respond.

Are their responses consistent and transparent? Do they feel defensive or hesitant?

Notice whether the team seems aligned or if there are signs of cliques. In small or remote organizations, these subtle behaviors often reveal far more than formal policies will.

Using Glassdoor as a Cultural Window

Glassdoor can be a useful tool for evaluating culture, both before and after interviews.

Reviews from current and former employees often highlight how work is actually done, how leadership interacts with staff, and whether stated values match reality.

Look for patterns across multiple reviews rather than focusing on single opinions. Pay attention to comments about the CEO, management style, work-life balance, etc.

Red Flags and Green Flags

Certain patterns indicate whether a culture will support or hinder you. Observing these signs during interviews will help you gauge whether a company will be a good fit.

Red flags include hiring primarily through personal networks, fragmented or cliquish relationships, unclear expectations or accountability, and inconsistent feedback.

Green flags include clear communication, structured onboarding or mentorship, transparent decision-making, recognition of contributions, and accountable practices.

In Conclusion

In conclusion, I hope this article helps you understand the value of spotting company culture during interviews and why it’s a worthwhile habit. It may be difficult to assess a company’s culture when interviewing, but even an imperfect understanding is better than none at all.