Diversity & Unconscious Bias; How to Find the Right Cultural Fit for You

In the fourth instalment of our How to Get Hired talent series – where we offer up tips and tricks to help applicants navigate the job industry, and stand out from the crowd – we spoke to our Talent Acquisition Manager, Chloe Palk, to hear her thoughts on diversity and unconscious bias in the workplace.  From social postings to brand values here’s how to find a company with the right cultural fit for you.

Chloe Palk

Why is Cultural Fit Important?

How many times have you seen or heard about your dream job opening but have held back due to brand culture reputation…

Let me guess? Way too many times!

Culture is 100% the core of acquiring employees or more importantly, retaining them. Greater job satisfaction improves engagement, performance and productivity, allowing you to not only grow in your career but also have a happy work-life balance.

We spend the majority of our lives working, and since the pandemic we have realised how important the balance actually is; whether it’s flexibility, the social element, motivation or just all round enjoyment.

88% of employees believe a strong company culture is key to business success.”

Having a strong, authentic and a flexible work culture will encourage employees to look forward to the new week, not experiencing Sunday blues or having to call in sick rather than face going into the office.

When you’re enjoying your job, it becomes less like a job; working with like minded people brings passion to the surface, and passion is one thing that will always lead to success over any skill set. Something we constantly see as the route to business success.

With that in mind, more opportunity accompanies employee passion. Your employees don’t just represent your business, they’re a part of it – every single value. If you give your employees something back, you’ll only get something greater in return whether it’s added work value, strong employer branding or all round positive feedback – everything counts as a win!

The same goes if you’re a job seeker, you not only want the security (especially in this climate) but you need to enjoy your new chapter and think about it as a longevity, to feel as if you can actually add value, make lasting relationships, learn new things and really grow.

How to Find the Right Company for You?

Research into the company is without a doubt the first step, especially their social. Check how often they post about employees, internal committees or celebrate internal wins or even connections/communication through employee profiles. If people love where they work retention rates will be high and employees will be more inclined to re-share internal blogs, news and be interactive with each other.
Glassdoor is always a good place to start, but take things with a pinch of salt. How many times have you been to a good restaurant and left a review? Maybe never, but this is something to follow up during an interview stage and query – taking a look at both their customers & employees!

Check company values. Do their brand values and company ethos match yours? Not only are you potentially going to represent those within that organization, but that would also be your tone of voice.

It also doesn’t hurt to ask – I used to do this a lot, always speaking to the extended teams about culture, rather than just asking the hiring manager. If you’re not interviewing yet, connect with employees and if you’re interviewing, ask to meet the team! Of course, every company manifests their culture to be the best ever, but that’s not always the case when you dig a little deeper.

Salaries & benefits: if they’re paying under industry trend, this isn’t usually the best sign. You get what you pay for and this is something that really shows employees are valued.

Lastly, during an interview stage, ask questions no one else would! Ask for stats and figures – numbers mean everything and not something that can be made up on the spot. Ensure transparency in your questions – for example, “What is your current split with male and female employees, how do you see yourself improving this?” Or “How many promotions have you given to employees this year? How do your progression paths work?”. Make it personalized to what’s important with you, their reaction will identify exactly whether it’s the right role for you.

If they’re willing to overlook them, then I can assure it wasn’t the right fit to begin with.

In all honesty, I think it’s good to go through that initial stage, companies with a bad rep have a tendency of being taken over by someone else which means they could be on the road to improvement, ask the questions and take time to research – and ALWAYS trust your gut!

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