The Secret to Finding Your Ideal Workplace | Marion Campan | TED

Summary

In this engaging script, Marion, a corporate culture enthusiast from Tahiti, emphasizes the importance of company culture when choosing between job offers. She debunks the myth that it's impossible to gauge a company's culture before joining and offers two practical tools: keen observation during the recruitment process and three insightful interview questions to assess cultural fit. Marion's advice aims to help individuals find a workplace that brings out the best in them, avoiding workplace disengagement and regret.

Takeaways

• 🎉 Celebrating receiving multiple job offers is a significant achievement, but it also brings the challenge of choosing the right one.
• 🤔 Choosing a job based on salary, title, or mission is common advice, but the speaker suggests considering company culture as a key factor.
• 🌟 Marion, the speaker, emphasizes the importance of corporate culture and shares her passion for it, drawing from her diverse background in Tahiti.
• 🌏 The script highlights the difficulty of understanding a company's culture from the outside before joining, a common misconception.
• 📊 Citing Gallup's study, the speaker points out the low engagement rates in workplaces, particularly in East Asia, indicating a need for better cultural fit.
• 💼 The story of Junita, a lawyer who experienced burnout in a startup culture, illustrates the importance of matching one's work ethic with company culture.
• 🔍 Two main strategies are suggested for assessing company culture: observing the recruitment process and asking insightful questions during interviews.
• 👀 Observing the recruitment process can reveal a company's communication style, pace, and hierarchy, which are indicative of its culture.
• 🗣️ Asking the right questions during interviews can uncover a company's values, promotion practices, and feedback mechanisms, providing clues about the work environment.
• 🚀 The first question, 'What kind of people get promoted here?', helps understand the company's values and growth opportunities.
• 🏅 The second question, 'What are your core values?', assesses whether the company lives by its stated principles and how they are reflected in everyday actions.
• 🔄 The third question, 'When was the last time you got feedback here?', gauges the company's commitment to continuous improvement and open communication.
• 👩‍💼👨‍💼 The interview process is a two-way street, allowing candidates to evaluate potential employers as much as they are being evaluated.

Q & A

What is the main advice Marion gives for choosing between two job offers?

Marion suggests choosing a job based on the company culture rather than just salary, title, or the nature of the projects.

Why does Marion emphasize the importance of company culture?

Company culture can significantly impact job satisfaction and engagement, which in turn affects an employee's performance and well-being.

What is Marion's background, and how does it relate to her perspective on corporate cultures?

Marion is from Tahiti, an island with a diverse and melting-pot culture. This background may have shaped her understanding of the importance of a harmonious and inclusive corporate culture.

What are the two ways Marion suggests to understand a company's culture before joining?

Marion suggests observing the recruitment process and asking specific questions during the interview to gauge the company's culture.

According to the Gallup study Marion mentioned, what percentage of people in East Asia are engaged in their work?

Only 17 percent of people in East Asia are engaged in their work according to the Gallup study.

What is the term for employees who are present at work but only do the minimum required?

This behavior is referred to as 'quiet quitting.'

Can you provide an example of how to observe a company's culture during the recruitment process?

One example is the responsiveness of the company to emails and interview scheduling, which can indicate the company's pace and organization.

What are the three questions Marion recommends asking during an interview to understand the company culture?

The three questions are: 1) What kind of people get promoted here? 2) What are your core values? 3) When was the last time you received feedback here?

Why is it important to ask about promotions, core values, and feedback in an interview?

These questions help understand the company's growth opportunities, values, and communication style, which are crucial aspects of the company culture.

How does Marion use the analogy of selecting an avocado to explain the process of choosing a company culture?

Just as one tests an avocado's ripeness by applying pressure, Marion suggests observing and asking questions to 'test' the company culture's fit for the candidate.

What should a candidate be clear about before entering an interview to assess company culture?

A candidate should be clear about what they want and expect from a company, including what work should look like, feel like, and be like for them.