What Company Culture Means for Fresh Graduates and First Jobbers
Company culture (which I’ll shorten to culture) is a subject that’s been heavily talked about. However, most articles seem to only cater to people who’ve already been in the workforce. I’d like to talk about culture from a first jobber’s perspective to hopefully inform others like me on how important it is in choosing where we work.
So, what is company culture?
According to Francis Frei and Anne Morriss’ HBR article, culture guides discretionary behavior and it picks up where the employee handbook leaves off. Culture tells us how to respond to an unprecedented service request. It tells us whether to risk telling our bosses about our new ideas, and whether to surface or hide problems. Employees make hundreds of decisions on their own every day, and culture is our guide. Culture tells us what to do when the CEO isn’t in the room, which is of course most of the time.
But..what does that mean for us first jobbers?
Well, it means a lot of things. Firstly, it tells us what kind of people we’re going to work with. Second, it determines how you and your team can contribute. Thirdly, it informs you how the company treats its people.
Culture tells us what kind of people we’re going to work with
Newer, more modern companies only hire culture fit candidates — candidates whose values, beliefs, and mission are aligned with the company’s — i.e., if we work with a company that rewards individual achievement, we’re going to work with a lot of competitive people, if the company values continuous learning, most people you’ll be working with probably read a lot of books and occasionally learn via online courses.
Culture tells us how you and your team can contribute
Each company runs their organizations differently. If you prefer a more stable environment where you can focus on family and other things outside of work, find a company that has a more vertical structure. If you have a lot of ideas you want to execute while sharpening your skills, find a smaller, more horizontal company. Don’t mind spending most of your days grinding and hustling? Agencies and consulting firms are your best pick. There are no wrong choices here, everyone has their own preferences.
Culture tells us how a company treats its people
Make sure you work for a company that supports your goals and needs, not take them away from you. Sure, bean bags and cool merch are awesome, but things like health benefits, how the HR deals with problems, and a healthy work environment matters more. The easiest way to find out about this (aside from sites like Glassdoor and the company’s official channels) is how their employees and alumni talk about them in social media.
So…what does a good culture look like?
A good culture for me might not be good for you too, or even for the next guy, so, I feel like there’s no objectively good culture, only objectively bad ones.
In my very limited experience as a first jobber, good culture is when the leaders not only preach it, but actively act on it as well. When a company preaches innovation but the leaders stick to the same solution time and time again, it’s bad. When a company preaches leadership while their leaders aren’t held accountable for their mistakes, it’s bad. When a company preaches creating good for the community but barely provides value in their products (and the processes behind its production), it’s especially bad.
