According to Samuelian-Werve, companies should cultivate a culture that promotes the well-being of their employees. But the challenge is how can new applicants know what kind of environment their potential employers have produced. Understanding a company’s purpose before entering the organisation can be a challenge as companies are often vague about their company culture. During interviews, applicants should demonstrate their interest and further their understanding by asking questions regarding its challenges, competitors, and long-term goals. 

Furthermore, doing research on a company before an interview will highlight your interest to the recruiter. It should be noted that company values are the fundamental beliefs that a team holds and are the guiding principles that help the team work together towards a common goal. Therefore, understanding and engaging in solid company values increases financial performance, customer and employee satisfaction and improve growth. More advantages of setting core values include:

• Helping the team make decisions.
• Aligning the team with bettered communication.
• Enhancing motivation.

According to Forbes, there are multiple elements in each company’s value system: aspirational, permission-to-play, accidental, and core. Aspirational values refer to the company’s goals, and permission to play values are the minimum requirements in a company that are standard among their competitors. Accidental value traits are evident but unintentional and do not always serve a purpose. Finally, core values are the 2 or 3 inherent traits that guide hiring, strategy, and goal setting. Overall, the candidate should share similar morals and values with the company to have an easy integration and the “right fit” with the team.

Therefore, the next time you apply for a new position, you should prioritize understanding each element of your potential employers’ culture and value system. As mentioned above, sharing similar morals and values facilitates easy integration into the team. To ensure thorough comprehension of the company’s culture, ask questions regarding the company’s motivation and history. 

For example:

• What motivates employees?
• How does your company foster teamwork and inclusivity?
• What goals does this business have, and how are they embodied in its workers?

It should be noted that the company you are interviewing with should have answers for these questions that are clear, concise, and principles of existing business philosophy. If this is not the case, the company may not have an embedded culture that helps employees achieve company goals and create inclusion. Thus, integration and success within a company that has ill-defined values and culture is more challenging. 

 References:

1. Discovering a Company’s Values During an Interview, December 2020, Welcome to the Jungle.
2. How to Discover Your Company Values, March 2021,