Finding “Good People” When Changing Jobs

The sun is shining; birds are singing; people are interviewing. In addition to a volatile stock market, there’s a lot of movement in the job market, particularly in the technology sector, where open requisitions abound.

With that, I have received a lot of questions about career moves over the past several months. In March I talked about decision distractors, or artificial roadblocks that pop up when making career decisions. But apart from determining company size and stage, industry, role, and the like, a very common refrain I hear is “I need to work with good people.”

What does “good people” mean to you? Whether you call it “values,” “culture,” “good vibe” or something else more interesting, how do you improve your chances of knowing your next gig is a good match for you? Here are a few concepts to incorporate into your decision-making.

People rarely change

Generally speaking, the observations you draw about someone’s manner from your initial interactions will not go away. In fact, these behaviors are likely to magnify over time, and even more so in periods of stress, like product launches, presentations, deal negotiations — you get the idea.

Compare it to dating. Do you care if she’s always late? Does it matter if he’s always texting during your conversations? Are you assuming (be honest now!) that you can change someone’s behavior or mind? And do people start changing habits in the middle of intense job strain or anxiety? It’s not usually a good idea to go into a relationship thinking about all the things you’re going to “fix”.

With that, think carefully about what you find quirky, unusual, and potentially unworkable if magnified about your prospective manager or teams’ personalities. Observe how quickly they respond to you, their communication styles, and if and how they’re conveying the value you’d bring to the organization. Assume these dynamics won’t change when making your decision.

Side note: If you’re interviewing at a larger company, separate the recruiting process from your experience with the team and the hiring manager — experiences can diverge a great deal!

Have them show, not tell

To be clear, I’m not saying that people don’t grow over time or that it’s impossible to change an team or company’s culture. But ongoing change requires awareness, motivation, and practice. You need to understand an individual’s or team’s penchant for all three of these things to get a sense of probable evolution — or lack thereof.

For any changes you’d want and your other critical preferences, test the prospective company’s leadership, management, and colleagues for signs of probable evolution during your interview process. The more you can get them to “show, not tell,” the truer the picture of the environment you’ll have. Here’s how:

For example, if you inquire about communication preferences, and your prospective manager says he has a direct communication style, ask for a typical instance or two to illustrate. Are you happy with his answer? Does it sync with the words he’s using? If so, fantastic! You have a sense for how he will handle something important to you. If not, he’s not being sincere in his responses or he’s not self-aware. In either case, nothing’s likely to change. Can you live with that?

Take care that you don’t ask leading questions when asking for back-up, similar to “behavioral interviewing” pitfalls when hiring. An open-ended question like, “What are a few recent examples of direct communication?” versus “Give me an example of how your direct communication was effective” can make a huge difference in someone’s response.

Better yet, ask a few non-controversial, yet very direct questions. Does he react comfortably? Does he answer the questions clearly? If not, getting answers to difficult questions will only prove more challenging — and likely frustrating if you prefer direct communication — when the time comes.

Finally, sign the NDA (you’ll probably do this at most large companies anyway before you’re let in the door) and see if you can shadow your manager or the team on a visit, where you can witness the team dynamics first-hand. Look at their body language. Listen for the tone and arc of their communication. Get a feel for the energy or tension onsite, and how it may ebb and flow depending on who is in the room.

Full circle: success and authenticity

Whatever job you take, you want to set yourself up for success and feel you have the autonomy, authority, and creativity to make good things happen. Before you start examining opportunities, really take the time to identify your deal-breaker values and other cultural priorities. Don’t think of these as negotiable, like compensation or start date. Again, assume both you and your manager won’t change!

So… do the passion and perspective you want to bring align with your manager and day-to-day team? And do your values and must-haves align with the company’s strategy, priorities, and goals? That’s the best possible scenario. But things are rarely perfect. If you’ve identified some red flags when evaluating the role — and likely you have — consider how important these are to you versus everything else the opportunity offers. And then compare that to your alternatives.

In any case, whatever your next move, you’ll go into it eyes wide open, risks and expectations managed, ready and knowing how to best make it work. Good luck!