How to Make Sure Your Job Interview Is a Two-Way Street

When she speaks publicly about job hunting and interviewing, senior recruiter Andrea Spoerke always shares what she calls her top piece of advice: “Remember, you are interviewing the company as much as they are interviewing you.”

It’s a bit of wisdom that Spoerke wishes she had heard herself when she was first searching for a job. Her first position out of college seemed to check a lot of boxes: fancy title, good pay, in a great city — but ultimately it wasn’t the right fit.

“Had I really thought about my personal values and whether I was going to be able to show up as my full, authentic self at work and be celebrated for who I really am — I probably would have found a company more similar to where I am now,” says Spoerke, who helps recruit and evaluate candidates for Chick-fil-A’s internship programs.

After growing her career for a number of years, Spoerke realized that she wanted to start her search for her next challenge by finding an organization she knew would inspire her wholehearted enthusiasm. Set on staying in the Atlanta area, she came up with a very short list of target companies. One of them was Chick-fil-A — and for her it has proven the match she hoped for.

So how can other jobseekers get the same clarity about whether a particular position is truly the right fit for them? How can they know whether they’ll be both challenged by the work and supported by leaders and colleagues?

First off, it’s best to start researching a company well before you arrive at the interview. To investigate culture and fit, you can start by asking: What has the company and its executive team said publicly about leadership, staff development, innovation, collaboration and care?

These days, many companies define their values and purpose directly on their website. (Chick-fil-A, for example, offers a detailed explanation of its?core values and Culture of Care?for anyone to see — and Chick-fil-A corporate staffers?frequently speak about their experiences.) Additionally, it’s often possible to find interviews with individual company leaders, or even videos of talks they’ve given.

If you have a hard time finding these kinds of data points online, that’s an excellent topic to explore during your job interview. You can ask your interviewer what the company’s leadership has said about these issues. If your interviewer doesn’t have an answer and can’t offer insights into the company’s values and approach to leadership, that could be a red flag.

And of course, to get a deeper view on a company’s culture, make sure to ask your interviewer questions about their personal experience. Individual anecdotes can help you confirm whether employees’ day-to-day experiences are in line with a company’s values.

To learn more about a company’s culture, you can ask interviewers questions such as:

• What professional development opportunities have you received or taken advantage of?
• What does professional growth look like here? What has it looked like for you?
• What are some ways the company cares for people? Can you give me some examples of times you’ve seen or experienced this care?

After your interview, it’s in your best interest to do additional research before you accept a job offer. Spoerke suggests finding someone outside of the hiring process to speak with.

“It’s great to hear from a recruiter, but at the end of the day sharing what I love about Chick-fil-A is my job — so you should definitely look for other sources as well,” Spoerke says. “Find someone else at the company, either through your school network, through your professional contacts, or even through neighborhood acquaintances. Ask them what it’s like to work there.”

Are you interested in learning more about a career at Chick-fil-A Corporate? Visit us at?www.chick-fil-a.com/careers