How to determine if a company is a good fit for you

【A】On paper, the job seemed perfect for me: The position was completely in line with my degree, the duties and responsibilities were compatible with my interests, and the office maintained a well-stocked kitchen that would satisfy my every snack desire.

【B】Sounds like my dream job, right? There was only one small problem: I simply didn’t get along with the company culture. They favored a more rigid, closed-door, corporate atmosphere, while I would have preferred something more collaborative and open. They were complete clock watchers, while I would have liked a more flexible schedule. To put it plainly, we just weren’t on the same page.

【C】When it comes to looking for a new job, you already know that a big part of the interview process involves the company evaluating whether or not you’re a good fit for their open role. But, it’s important to keep in mind that the employer isn’t the only one who needs to identify a good match—you should be looking for that same exact thing. Company culture can have a big impact on how you feel about your work, so you want to make sure you sign an offer letter with an organization you’re truly excited about.

【D】However, figuring out what a company is like before you actually work there can be a bit of a challenge. Luckily, there are a few things you can do to determine whether or not a company is a good fit for you—before you ever sign your name on that dotted line.

【E】First of all, know what you want. It’s hard to make any decisions when you don’t really know what you’re looking for. So before you can determine whether you and a specific company would be compatible together, it’s important to have a solid handle on what exactly you want from your employer. Many of us have an easier time identifying the things that we absolutely don’t want. If those are the only things you can think of, don’t worry! That’s still a good place to start.

【F】Start by writing down the things you didn’t like about previous employers, as well as the parts you really valued. There’s no wrong answer here—so from big things to small details, write them all down on your list. This will help you immediately identify what you’re looking for in an organization, as well as the things you’re trying to stay far, far away from.

【G】Make sure to do your research. Now comes the part when you put on your detective hat and do a little digging. The Internet will be your best friend when you’re trying to familiarize yourself with a company’s culture before ever walking through their office doors. And where exactly should you look for these culture clues? Start with the most obvious place first: the company’s website. Read through their copy and blog. Do they use formal, direct language? Or is it casual, conversational, and maybe even a little humorous? This can be a big indicator of what sort of atmosphere the company is trying to cultivate.

【H】Next, turn your attention toward their social media outlets. Are they sharing photos of their team’s Thursday afternoon barbeque or Halloween costume contest? Or are their social media accounts strictly reserved for company-related announcements and product launches?

【I】An industry review website like Glassdoor is another spot to check in order to find some insider information about what you can expect about a company. However, remember to take the reviews you read with a grain of salt—many of them are written by scorned (被鄙视的) employees.

【J】Finally, you can never fail with personal connections. Send a quick message to a current or previous company employee on LinkedIn or by email and ask if they would be willing to have a quick conversation with you about the organization in general. If you get a yes to your request for a chat, you’ll be armed with some pretty powerful and helpful information heading into your interview!

【K】Learn more by asking questions. You know that part at the end of a job interview when the hiring manager asks if you have any questions, and you just stare across the table blankly with your mouth hanging open? That’s the perfect opportunity to speak up and get your burning company culture questions answered! So yes, you can definitely ask your interviewer about what it’s like to work for that particular organization. Simple questions like, “What three words would you use to describe the culture here?” or “What’s your favorite part about working for this company?” can reveal a lot about what it’s really like behind closed doors.

【L】Prioritize your values. What does my dream company culture look like? Well, I could come and go as I please, as long as I was getting the work done. My boss would genuinely listen to and value all of my ideas and suggestions. My co-workers would all be friendly with one another, without ever falling into the office gossip trap. The kitchen would have endless options of pizza and cookies. Oh, and they’d give me two months of paid vacation with a very generous salary.

【M】What are my chances of finding all of those things with one employer? Slim to none—believe me, I’ve looked. This is why it’s so important to know which aspects of a company’s culture you value most. Is it an open communication style or a flexible schedule? Focus on the top spots on your priority list, and ensure a potential employer at least checks those boxes. Unfortunately, this is reality, you can’t have everything you want but a few are certainly achievable.

【N】When you’re hunting for a new job, you already know that the employer is trying to decide whether or not you’re a good fit for the position. But you should also look at the process through a similar lens. You may not be the one conducting the actual interview, but you’re still trying to determine whether or not company is a good fit for you.

【O】Keep these tips in mind to figure out whether you and a potential employer are a perfect match or just a recipe (方案) for disaster. After all, it’s a good thing to know before actually accepting an offer.

        Online classes began to be popularized just a few decades ago. They are advertised as a way for adults to finish their education and students to learn the material at their own pace—it is far more compatible for people with busy schedules.

        But after being enrolled in an online course last fall semester, I came to realize online classes were merely a means to fulfil course requirements.

         First of all, students lack the desire to learn, and they simply complete their assignments to receive credit for a passing grade rather than genuinely engage with the course material.

        As online courses tend to have more than 100 students, most of the assignments are short and simple. They are not designed for students to interact with the material in depth but designed to be graded easily to accommodate such a large number of students.

         Perhaps the biggest disadvantage of taking an online class is the absence of face-to-face interaction between the teacher and their students. Live sessions are infrequent and are often scheduled during the middle of the day when students have to attend other classes or work. The office hours of the professor may also be during inconvenient times for many students as well. Most interaction with the professor has to be through email which is often impersonal. It is nearly impossible for students to build a relationship with their professor.

        There is also little interaction amongst students. It can be harder for students to create study groups and form relationships with their peers.

        Online classes also requite either a computer or laptop and a reliable internet connection. Not all students have access to these types of resources, whether it is for financial or other reasons, and some students can be put at a disadvantage.

        Offering online classes certainly helps students who would otherwise not be able to attend classroom sessions. However, they fail to provide a genuine education with an emphasis on convenience rather than critical thinking. We need restructured online classes in which students can have a learning experience that will actually provide quality education.

        In the age of the internet, there’s no such thing as a private debate. But is that bad for science? Some scientists have had concerns. When debates in any sector move beyond the halls of universities and government agencies, there’s potential for information to be used incorrectly, leading to public confusion; yet, open debate can also promote communication between the scientific community and the public. Recent open debates on scientific research, health, and policy have aroused greater public attention and encouraged more diverse voices. If this trend spurs scientists to agree more quickly about the best solutions to our problems—and at the same time helps the public observe the process of scientific discourse more clearly—then this is good for everyone, including scientists.

        A recent debate published in “The New York Times” discussed the question of how quickly medicine should be developed and produced. Issues such as safety of the product and perception of the public were examined and considered. But some experts worried that such public speculation might lead people to believe that disagreement about the details meant a lack of adequate scientific consensus over the safety and efficiency of modern-day medicine.

       The anxiety seems misplaced. Gone are the days of going to a conference and debating scientific issues, and that’s good because those gatherings were not diverse enough and excluded many important voices. These days, the public can access debates about science regardless of where they take place.

        For many scientists, public debate is a new frontier and it may feel like a place with few restraints or rules, but rather than avoiding such conversations, let the debates be transparent and vigorous, wherever they are held. If the public is to understand that science is an honorably self-correcting process, the idea that science is a fixed set of facts in a textbook needs to be dismissed. With the validity of science coming under attack, there’s a need for scientific debates to be perceived as open and true to life. Let everyone see the noisy, messy deliberations that advance science and lead to decisions that benefit us all.