Understanding Company Culture When Job Hunting

February 13, 2023 in Career and Job Search Tips, Interview Tips

 

Laurie Hyllberg

Laurie champions Kinsa Group’s position as the top food and beverage recruiting firm in the nation and its presence in the global FMCG marketplace. To her Bachelor of Science in Psychology, Business Management, and Marketing she adds over 20 years of executive search experience in the food and beverage industry at Kinsa. Building a network of executives and professionals through membership in the Women’s Foodservice Forum, Institute of Food Technologists, FaB Wisconsin, Chicagoland Food and Beverage Network, and maintaining professional expertise in recruiting as an Executive Board Member for the Recruiters Of Wisconsin association, Laurie is able to connect top talent in the food industry with food and beverage processors and foodservice providers growing their teams at the C-Suite, VP, Director, and Management level. Connect with Laurie today!

 

As recruiters, one thing we often hear from the candidates we work with is that they are looking for more than just a paycheck. They are looking for a good company culture, one that aligns with their values. That makes sense, but how do you wrap your head around a company’s culture? The obvious way – asking “can you tell me about your culture?” – generally doesn’t work. Either the interviewer fumbles to provide a good answer, or they have a memorized statement that was written by the marketing department and approved by legal.
So, how can you wrap your head around a company’s culture? The best way is through well-crafted questions during an interview. (An added benefit is that many interviewers are looking for candidates who ask thoughtful questions.)

 

Following are some good examples of questions that help clarify a company’s culture.

Note that you will need to adapt these examples – 1) so that they sound natural for you, and 2) so that they reflect your values.
  1. What’s your favorite thing about working here? What keeps you coming back every day?
  2. What soft skills or personality traits are typically shared by your most successful employees?
  3. Can you think of an example of a time that an employee shared an idea with management, and how it was received? Was the idea embraced? What happened as a result?
  4. How does the company embrace corporate responsibility? What causes does the company support and how?
  5. Your website says your company is family-friendly. What does that look like?
  6. What DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) initiatives has the company launched? What was the impact?
  7. When an employee suffers a personal tragedy within their family, how does the company support them?
  8. If an employee is committed to other activities that may occur during typical working hours, such as coaching a local youth softball team, is there flexibility for those activities?
  9. What are some ways the company tries to be a great (or fun) place to work?

Again, these are just examples meant to inspire you to better understand your own values and determine an employer’s alignment with them.

Kinsa Group’s recruiters and our broad network of food industry executives are always looking for top talent and we’d like to help you find the best opportunity to match your skills. Submit your resume below and our recruiters will reach out as new roles open up!

Submit Your Resume

This blog was written by George Blomgren, Kinsa Group Recruiting Manager. Connect with him on LinkedIn.

RELATED POSTS: