The subtle tips for finding out if a business is worth working for.

Two amazing mentors gave me these tips years ago, and I just had to share them.

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Great mentors give wonderful nuggets from their careers. Never disregard them; they will save so much time and allow you to find your Northstar for your career. These simple tips I had to share have served me rather well throughout my career.

1. Have they bothered reading your CV and portfolio?

As a habit, I put at least one or two typos and discipline errors in my CV; this is my qualifying test for any employer.

Most people ask why the deliberate mistakes?

It’s so straightforward, and let me explain why.

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It is a qualifier for who I might be working with, and this answers the simple question of whether or not they had read what I have submitted. If the hiring manager gives feedback, it validates two crucial factors for employment:

• The employer can and will give meaningful and appropriate feedback. This implies a growth mindset and potential career development. It shows they are willing to better you; this is the sign of a decent manager.
• Details matter. It explains if they have been bothered reading what I have submitted. Additionally, it explains if they understand the subject matter they are hiring for. Consequently, it highlights that the details matter.

A hiring manager who expects you to be familiar with the role, the job description, the position’s expectations, and the business should also be familiar with the candidate.

Newsflash, this works both ways.

If you cannot read my CV and folio, there is a fundamental lack of respect and priority. It’s a big red flag in my opinion.

For reference, this has never hindered my ability to get a role. In fact, it has guided me to some amazing workplaces.

2. Check the bathrooms

A mentor gave me a killer tip, check the bathrooms at the office you are working at. For me, this seemed odd at the time; however, it is so apt and explains everything you need to know about a business.

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A bathroom is the same as looking at the business’ ledger, culture and accounts.

Why may you ask?

The company’s bathroom is a window to the soul of a business. It highlights the levels of care or appathy a business and team culture has.

The bathroom is the yardstick test for the engine of any business; it is incredibly transparent in ways many do not comprehend.

• A dirty or unkept bathroom indicates the level of preference and respect a business has towards its employees. It shows if a company cares or not.
• A filthy bathroom emphasises how often you will be sick if you work there. You will pay for a dirty bathroom, a filthy kitchen, and a microwave for this in sick leave. It’s an indication of how many days you will stay in bed ill.
• Cleanliness highlights the priorities of a business, whether or not the welfare and wellbeing of their staff truly matter.
• Bathrooms show the state of the books and the financial welfare of any organisation. If they cannot afford to keep the basics in order, there are some serious problems.
• A bathroom is the last place in an office to be renovated. If it is in disrepair, it’s often the case the books are in the same disrepair and chaos. If they cannot provide the basis of societal needs, then they cannot offer the big-ticket items.
• It shows the shadow culture of any business (from a Jung perspective). The state of the bathrooms emphasises the dark side of business culture. If messy and unkept, it offers a cultural explanation for the “we do not care” attitude. If an employee cannot flush or throw the used paper towels in the bin, they care not for the people they work with.

If a business cannot provide the basic level of sanitation and care to its staff, it’s the best indication that you will not matter if you decide to work there.

Likewise, it shows the quality of the culture in a physiological sense.

Tea and coffee

Bathrooms follow my next piece of advice. Tea and coffee are the following litmus test for a business and its culture. If you cannot provide a decent cup of tea and coffee for your staff, you cannot provide the tools an employee needs to work.

Additionally, it is a cultural artefact for social purposes, a conduit for expressing ideas, communicating and connecting with others. It demonstrates a team and business' cultural engagement with a tool as inconsequential as a cup of tea or coffee.

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If a business cannot offer its staff a decent tea or coffee, it predicates other behaviours within an operating framework. This means that if a business cannot afford or prioritise something as simple as tea and coffee, then the new computer or monitor you require to perform your job will not be a priority.

The priority of tea and coffee is a representation of the level of respect and care any business has towards its employees. Additionally, it demonstrates the value placed on the small things, and if a business is unable or unwilling to invest in the small things, the big things are out of scope.

The little things a business culture does matter. The rituals and cultural nuances make a workplace worth turning up.

These little things demonstrate to the business culture what is critical from a Maslow perspective. These artefacts and rituals illustrate their place in the hierarchy of needs (from an employee perspective). It emphasises the focus a culture and the workplace has on the needs and empowerment of their individuals. The morning beverage illustrates the level of importance a business demonstrates to its employees, and the quality of candour within a team.

It demonstrates care and esprit de corps.

Tea and coffee, is not just tea and coffee. It demonstrates ritual and the level of importance bestowed to each other by any working culture. Furthermore, you will spend considerable time with these people, making the coffee test mandatory.

So ask yourself, do you actually want to share a drink with these people every morning?

If the answer is no, it should explain the quality of the people and culture.

In summary

As I have explained, the little things do matter when looking for a great business to work with. I have been fortunate to work with individuals who have articulated why the small things matter and the secret sauce for creating a fantastic work culture.

I hope this advice is helpful and valuable for others.