Four Ways to Read a Company

Professor Maura Belliveau, who teaches at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, gives this down-to-earth advice:

  1. Know some answers before you ask questions.
    “The best information about a company comes from the people who know the intimate details: current employees, former employees, customers. But these people may not know you. How do you persuade them to be frank? By becoming as informed as possible before

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Some Tough Questions to Ask

Professor John Sullivan argues that sizing up a company means asking “bone-chilling” questions—and seeing whether people are willing to answer. “Be skeptical,” he says. “You need an accurate job preview, and that means posing tough questions.” Here are a few of his favorites:

  • What are the worst aspects of your company’s culture?
  • What does the company plan to do over the next year to

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What Makes a Great Job?

Professor John Sullivan helps some of the world’s best-known companies recruit and retain top-flight talent. He also helps his students at San Francisco State University select the job that’s right for them. He’s put together a guide to help talented people choose among competing offers. Here are five of his simple but powerful criteria for evaluating a job.

  1. Does the

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