On the hunt for a job? Culture vultures are best at picking employers
Are you job-hunting right now? Are you about to research a whole number of employers? Many recruiters look pretty similar but a bit of scratching around can unearth the subtle differences that come from ‘company culture’ and enable you to better target your CVs and applications.
Company culture has some blatant indicators that are easy to define, if not measure: décor, working hours, dress codes, lunching rituals, management styles, mission statements, noise levels in the office. But in some part, company culture is the feeling you get when you walk in the door and work with the people. To be happy in your job and achieve your best you need to feel comfortable with your surroundings and feel that the organisation’s values and ways of working match with your own. And it works both ways: graduate recruiters want applicants who somehow fit in.
Pinstripes or chinos?
If you’ve been raring to get all pinstriped and corporate ever since your first day at university, you probably know the kind of environment you’re looking for already. It could be found in banking, City law and consulting. On the other hand, if you’re a bit of a scruff who can’t get out of bed of a morning and would like a job that’s, well, a bit like university really, you’re probably looking for one of those offices with pool tables and coffee (or herbal teas) on tap – the more ‘creative’ environments that can be found in media, IT or a more local business. Most of us, however, are somewhere in between and a little bit more flexible. We can see ourselves fitting into the open-planned environment of offices in a nice landscaped business park or being in a town or city location where we can pop out to Pret at lunch time to pick up a latte and a sustainable no-bread sandwich. And, although it doesn’t come naturally, we do know how to iron chinos, dress smart-casual and set an alarm clock when we have to.
To the trained eye, one bank in the City is very different from the one next door
A large organisation will have a very different feel to a small business – that’s obvious, but there are also interesting variations in culture between organisations of similar size in the same business sector or industry. For example, investment banks in general are fast paced, businessy places to work, but to the trained eye, one bank in the City is very different from the one next door, and there even are more variations out at Canary Wharf. Some have American origins, others European. While one bank is a patron of modern art another will prefer classic fine art. And even within a large industry or professional services organisation, the IT department can have a totally different ambience from the finance or marketing department just down the corridor. You need to find a way to get a feel for the vibe of the organisations you approach and the team in which you will work.
Testing the culture
To start exploring company feel, talk to current employees. If they become your colleagues you’ll see more of them than your friends, so you want to get along. Switch on your ‘vibe detector’ when you meet recruiters and employees at careers fairs and employer presentations. Think about the messages you are receiving and think ‘would I like to work with these people?’ Do they feel approachable and easy to talk to? Are they as direct and no-nonsense as you would like? Ask questions about what it’s like to work for the employer, how easy it is to ask for help, whether people lunch together and how the organisation actually lives out its mission statements, for example.
Visiting an organisation for an interview or assessment centre is even better. You can do some casual observation. If you go on a tour around work space take in the atmosphere and look at the people working there – is it noisy, bustling, quiet, calm, too noisy or too quiet? Can you imagine yourself at one of the desks – will the picture of your dog, cat or chinchilla fit in? Will the chocolate and raspberry décor inspire your creativity? If you have the skills and qualities an employer wants, they will want you to choose them so they will be ‘bigging up’ their organisation – but does their presentation match up to the reality of your experience and expectations?
Assessing company culture isn’t an exact science. Given the information you have you have to make the best guess and go with your gut instinct. However, when you are deliberating over which job offer to choose, roll in the company culture alongside all the benefits, training and salary on offer and you’ll get the complete package at the start of your career.
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