Company Culture: why it’s so important
I recently had the privilege of speaking on a panel for a club at my alma mater about apply to internships and career building. Being a part of that made me take a step back and reflect on what my thoughts and impressions about the workplace were before I stepped into it myself. As a first-generation US citizen, my parents weren’t able to provide me with much guidance when it came to the business work scene. I had to learn a lot of things through the internet and from mentors I met in college. One of the most important things I’ve realized myself recently is how important being a culture fit at work is. Back when I’d interview at places, it would be talked about and I had a very general, but limited, understanding of it. After working through several internships, and now working full time, I’ve truly come to realize how important it really is.
For me personally, it was the last thing I thought about when job searching. I cared more about the name/status of the company than how I would feel working there. After interning for one of the most well known cybersecurity companies in the world and still finding myself unfulfilled, I realized a job means so much more than the name. I’ve been fortunate enough post-grad to land myself in a position with a company who matches my values, beliefs, and attitudes towards work/life, and I can genuinely say that I’m happy with where I’m at professionally right now. I have many friends who also just started their full-time roles, and many of them just work to get by. No shade to anyone at all, I respect the hustle, but I live by the motto that we only live one life and you should spend it doing things that bring you joy and truly inspire you. I think that finding a company culture that aligns with yourself would help you take a step in the that direction.
I’ve shared some tips below to help guide you find that right culture fit while job searching:
Be yourself
From the very beginning, be yourself! I know people say this all the time, but what we don’t realize is how important this really is. Not only is faking it not cool, but it’s also so important because while you’re interviewing, your interviewees can genuinely gauge if you’ll fit in with the people working at the company.
If you’re faking it through the interview process and you get along with employees there, a switch isn’t gonna flip and they’ll become completely different once you start working. The people you meet at your interview are the people you’re going to work with. If they fall in love with the fake you and hire that version of you, you’re going to end up continuing to fake it on a daily basis just to get by.
Research values
Not only does researching and learning more in depth about a company show them that you’re really interested, but it’ll also help you learn more about the identity of the company. A company’s core values will tell you more about what drives them to make decisions. It’ll help demonstrate what fuels their work internally, and the lives of the people who work there externally.
Observe what the interview is like and Ask questions
Do they exemplify their values during your interview? It’s important that you can see that a company walks the walks and not just talks it. This is especially helpful if you’re interviewing with multiple people. See how they interact with one another. Observe their demeanor and how they support you throughout the process. If you feel a bit of uneasiness or tension between individuals, that may reveal a lot about their workplace culture.
A company that has great values, but doesn’t live up to those values is useless. They’re pretty on paper, but can’t live up to their claim. Actions are way more important than words, and if they can’t show you that from the beginning, you don’t want to find out when it’s too late!