The Road Not Taken: Tailored To Fit

The minimum one can do is be aware of the importance of workplace culture. How much you can adapt without betraying your own authenticity?

Group of business peopleFor people who aren’t in the legal industry, a job search has many facets: job description, salary, location, and for many, most importantly, fit. It seems quaint to think about having the luxury to evaluate a legal job opportunity for cultural fit when so many would be happy for any job. If the culture isn’t a fit, a lawyer can adapt to fit because there may not be other options anywhere on the horizon. It doesn’t matter what the culture is, you’ll make yourself fit.   

Forcing a fit is a horrible way to live. Organizations and job seekers put an emphasis on culture and fit for good reason. Poor cultural fit can result in higher turnover, which can lead to a loss of 50-60% of the person’s salary. Law firms aren’t known as employers who have figured out strategies for long-term retention of their employees, so the potential employers may not be thinking about fit. If you are looking for a new job, however, you should be aware of the organization’s culture and what makes a good fit for that culture.

As much as having an ill-fitting employee is a hassle to an employer, the same circumstance is even more traumatic for the employee who doesn’t fit. For employees, making sure your values align with your organization’s values means more than “fitting in.” It means your natural proclivities will either be appreciated or denigrated. It means you can be an employee authentic to yourself, or spend your days pretending to be someone you aren’t. It means that the values you prioritize for work are commensurate with your organization’s values.

At some point in time, we all think we can handle a situation where we don’t fit in a workplace. For whatever reason — the need for a job, an opportunity for more money, a change in industry — we think the opportunity is worth whatever discomfort we may experience because of the discrepancy in the organization’s values and our values.

As employees, we have to know ourselves well enough to know how we will react if our open and honest style is met with tears and resentment from our colleagues, or if our gentle way with others discredits our authority. Like reality show contestants, we aren’t at work to make friends, but friendly relationships with our colleagues certainly don’t hurt. What does hurt is being ineffective at work not because of competence, but because of culture.

It isn’t easy to figure out the culture of a workplace, especially in an interview where you have limited time and access to a place that will have so much impact on your life. Ultimately, you want to find out what characteristics the organization (supervisors, peers, and subordinates) appreciate, respond to, and reward. If you take work seriously and don’t prioritize water cooler talk, you will have a tough time fitting into a place where personal relationships are prioritized over daily tasks without pressing deadlines. Find out what is important to your potential new colleagues. When were they rewarded? When did they experience frustration? What type of person succeeds in the organization? What type of person doesn’t?

The minimum one can do is be aware of the importance of workplace culture, and know yourself well enough to know how much you can adapt without betraying your own authenticity.  

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Celeste Harrison Forst has practiced in small and mid-sized firms and is now in-house at a large manufacturing and technology company where she receives daily hugs from her colleagues. You can reach Celeste directly at C.harrisonforst@gmail.com.

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