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Compatibility with work environment is often a major focal area
for employers during the interview and selection process. Employers
want to determine if the candidate will be comfortable with
the overall environment of the organization in which they will
be working. Here are some questions used by employers in the
interview to measure such "organizational fit":
- In which past work environment were you happiest?
- Why were you happy?
- What factors most influenced your feelings?
- In which past work environment were you least happy?
- Why were you unhappy?
- What factors most influenced your feelings?
- How would you compare the work environment at Wilson Company
with the work environment at Chilton?
- Which was more satisfying? Why?
- Which was least satisfying? Why?
- What did you like most about the work environment at Bower
Corporation?
- What did you like least about the work environment at Bower
Corporation?
- What aspects about the work environment at Johnson &
Johnson did you find most stimulating? Why?
- What aspects about the work environment at Johnson &
Johnson did you find least stimulating? Why?
- In which past work environment did you feel you had the
most influence and impact?
- In which past work environment did you feel you had the
least influence and impact? What caused these feelings?
- What type of work environment do you find motivational and
stimulating? Why?
- What type of work environment do
you find unstimulating and demotivating? Why?
- How could your current work environment be made more interesting
and exciting?
- What things need to be changed?
- In what way would you change them?
- On a scale of 1 to 10 (1 low, 5 average, 10 high), where
do you rate your level of satisfaction with your current work
environment?
- What factors do you rate high? Why?
- What factors do you rate low? Why?
- In what kind of work environment are you most productive?
Why?
- In what kind of work environment are you least productive?
Why?
- What 4 or 5 things are most important to you in a work environment?
- Which is the most important? Why? Which is the least
important? Why?
- How would you describe the "ideal" work environment?
- What would be present? Why?
- What would be absent? Why?
- .Which of your past work environments has come closest to
your "ideal"?
- What factors were most appealing?
- How would you rank their importance? Why?
- Describe the work environment in which you were most productive.
- What contributed to your effectiveness?
- Which factors were most influential?
- How would you describe your current work environment?
- What do you find satisfying? Why?
- What improvements would you like to see? Why?
The Classic Answers
The classic answers will depend upon
the nature of the work environment of the organization with
whom you are interviewing. A successful strategy will need
to adapt this organizational profile. However, be sure to
present a balanced view, even if you absolutely hated one
of the organizations in which you worked. Even in this case,
look for the silver lining.
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1. "I can honestly say that I have enjoyed working for all
of my past employers, so it is difficult to pick one over
the other. I suppose if I had to split hairs, I would
say that I found the environment at Hobart Corporation
the least satisfying, although I was certainly not unhappy
there. At Hobart, management tended to be a little more
autocratic. Therefore, as employees, we tended to have
a little less freedom to act than in some of the other
companies for whom I have worked. This was not a major
issue for me, however."
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2. "The factors that most influenced my positive feelings
about working at Mifflin Corporation were its willing-
ness to push decision making to the lowest level of the
organization, and its commitment to employee
development. The company seemed bent on making the fullest use
of the capability of its people. As a result, both morale
and productivity of the company were unusually high. Unfortunately,
there was an unfriendly takeover by the Bowers Company,
and most of our positions were eliminated."
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3. "I probably found working at Loudder Corporation the least
satisfying. Although I certainly wasn't totally un- happy
there, my boss was ready for retirement and "stacked
arms" so to speak. It was difficult, as a result,
to get him to support any new initiatives that would bring
significant change. Although he was certainly a nice guy
to have as a boss, I tend to be happier working for someone
who is more interested in bringing about major changes
and improvements in the way things are done. Ray just
didn't have the heart for these kinds of changes at this
stage of his career."
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You can readily see from these examples how presenting a balanced
view can reflect positively on your candidacy if effectively
utilized. Try, therefore, never being overly critical of any
past work environment in which you have worked. Presenting something
positive about such environments speaks volumes about your positive
attitude and flexibility-two factors that most employers highly
value in an employment candidate.
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