Finding your people: Company culture and values

In a previous post we talked about the importance of cultural fit. Now we assume that you know where you fit in, and you need to find where these people work and how you can meet them. After all, building genuine relationships with people is the key to generating a network that you can leverage throughout your career to find those "unlisted" jobs. How do you find people that match the company culture you are targeting, and how do you find out where they work? Or alternatively, how do you find specific people that you could learn from, and find out what they do?

Let's say that you are targeting a specific company XYZ. You should start your research from the company website, which usually shows some gems like a mission statement, culture, benefits offered, etc. If a company does not have this information readily available, you might want to ask yourself - why not? This could broadcast confused company leadership and an undefined business strategy. This may or may not be a cultural fit for you - some people like to work in a place where things are constantly changing, but some people prefer more of a structured environment. Don't confuse "agile" with "chaotic" - there is a method to remaining flexible in operation to achieve a set goal that everyone understands.

Companies that showcase their employee benefits are telling you that they value their employees and are willing to invest to keep them. Look for things like matching 401k funds, ample vacation, and tuition benefits. These are signs that the company is invested in employee growth over the long term, but this may not interest you if you just want to work for a couple years and then move on.

Next look for the page that shows the company leaders and founders. There should be some information about these people, which should provide some basic information about them and their backgrounds. Would you consider working at any of these other companies? It's likely that these people adopted some of the company cultures from previous workplaces, and some part of those company cultures may be present in their current company.

Now you'll want to move beyond the canned responses on the company website to really see what these people are like. Look them up in Linked In, Facebook, and general Google searches. You'll learn a lot about their careers from the news articles, charitable organizations, photo opportunities, and awards that appear from a simple search. Through Linked In, you can often find the names of their connections, and you should look them up too. What are their hobbies and interests? Are those things that you enjoy or would enjoy? Are they on the boards of other companies or non-profits? Do the values of those groups align with your values?

Let's assume that you find several employees at Company XYZ who enjoy sailing and are active in the Boys and Girls club in your county. How do you feel about sailing or mentoring young people? Either of these activities can be joined for varying amounts of time and money. You don't need to join a Yacht Club to get experience sailing - what about finding some lessons from a local community college? Or what about volunteering a few hours a week at the Boys and Girls club? When do you either of these activities, you'll want to ask yourself:

• Do I enjoy spending time with people who do these activities? 
• Could I work with these people? Why or why not?

Most non-profits have fund-raisers each year, and they are in desperate need of reliable volunteers (stressing the reliable). Getting involved in a non-profit where a sizable amount of employees from Company XYZ spend their time and money is a great way to get to know them in a low pressure environment. Once again, ask yourself those questions above - at this point you might be actively working with these people a few hours a week. What do you think about working with these people 40+ hours a week?

As you spend time with these people, you should also be able answer questions such as:

• Where else do they spend their time?
• What is their day job like? Do they like it? 
• What motivates them to work?

By this point, you should have enough of a connection with these people to add them to your Linked In profile. We'll talk another time about where to go from there.