How to tell if a company's culture is real or just on their websitE

After getting burned twice by companies with beautiful employer branding and awful actual cultures, I developed a checklist.

Ask in the interview:
- "What does a typical Friday evening look like for the team?" (Are people still working at 8pm?)
- "Tell me about the last person who left this role — where did they go?" (Pattern of exits tells a story)
- "How are decisions made when two teams disagree?" (Tests for psychological safety)

Before accepting:
- Look up ex-employees on LinkedIn — have they stayed in industry or fled entirely?
- Ask to have a coffee with a non-manager team member
- Check if Glassdoor reviews mention the same manager issues repeatedly

None of these are foolproof, but they surface information that a polished careers page never will.