Chapel Hill Magazine
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-Repositioning Your Product: Transforming yourself in the world of work
-Joe Freeman Jr.: From engineer to private equity
-Ruth Taylor: Pursuing an entrepreneurial path at a large company
-Joanna Ruth Marsland: Managing a nonprofit
-Mary Elizabeth Johnson: Creating a business
-Is a Job Change Part of your Career Transformation?

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Kenan-Flagler Business School

Fall 2001
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Is a Job Change Part of your Career Transformation?

Assess your degree of fit with a new organization by getting the most accurate information you can about a company's values. This information is often difficult to get via a job interview, according to research by Kenan-Flagler management professor Dan Cable.

Here are some strategies he says can help:

  • Attend a company meeting: How people solve issues in a meeting will tell you a lot about what is expected and valued.
  • Meet people within the organization: Go to lunch with a senior- and junior-level person; interact with them in social settings.
  • Use "critical incident" interviewing: When talking to recruiters, ask them to relate a specific example of when their actions or choices reflected a company value that was important to them.
  • Identify "heroes and villains": Ask people about the company heroes: What are people valued for? Why are they admired? For company villains, ask them to identify someone who recently left the firm. Why didn't it work out? Why did they leave?

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