Understanding a company’s real values, the ones lived out in everyday actions, not just printed in slide decks, is key to finding alignment. This kind of alignment fuels job satisfaction, lowers turnover, boosts collaboration, and empowers you to contribute meaningfully.
Here’s how to dig into a company’s culture when you are deep in the interview process:
1. Evaluate leadership’s vision
As Simon Sinek says, “People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it.” The same principle applies to how leaders shape and express their company’s purpose.
- Review public talks and interviews: Search for the CEO or founders on YouTube, podcasts, or LinkedIn Live. How do they speak about the company's mission? Are they open about challenges, or is everything a highlight reel? Look for mentions of employee wellbeing, DEI, or long-term purpose beyond profits. Try keywords like “[CEO Name] interview + mission” or “[Company Name] leadership + values.”
- Scan leadership activity on LinkedIn: What do they post, share, or comment on? Are they amplifying diverse voices, celebrating team wins, or just reposting press releases? Do their actions reflect humility, curiosity, or courage? Follow at least 2–3 top execs. Do they engage with employee voices, or only the media?
- Research who's at the table. Look at the leadership team page. Is it diverse across gender, race, nationality, and background? Are there pathways for underrepresented employees to advance? Use tools like The Org to see team structure and compare roles.
2. Look beyond the website
What companies say publicly often differs from how they operate privately. Look elsewhere to get the full picture.
- Check employee review sites: Sites like Glassdoor or Comparably share real stories, especially trends in how people describe leadership, DEI, and growth opportunities. If something raises concerns, bring it up respectfully in interviews.
- Scan recent press and industry mentions: Have they been recognized for innovation, or are they facing lawsuits or layoffs? What projects are they prioritizing right now?
3. Decode employee experiences
Culture lives in employee stories. Employees are the clearest lens into how values actually show up at work.
- Ask to meet potential coworkers: These conversations can help you sense how teams collaborate, how leadership communicates, and whether values are actively lived.
- Look for consistency: Do different employees describe the company in similar ways? If there’s a big disconnect, pay attention.
- Ask direct questions: The hiring team is looking for a match that goes both ways. Why is this position open? Why did the last person leave? What kind of people succeed here? For some it may be scary to ask questions which could feel confrontational, but if the questions are genuine, then recruiters will usually be willing to discuss them. These questions often reveal hidden truths.
- Talk to alumni: Reach out to former employees to learn what drew them in—and why they left. Did their personal values align with how the company operated? Shiro Ndune, who leads inner work programs for bicultural professionals, reminds us: “It’s easy to get caught in other people’s narratives. You have to get clear on your own first.”
4. Engage your network
Your broader network—especially people in your field or community—can offer insight you won’t find on any careers page.
- Ask for introductions: If someone you trust has worked at or with the company, ask them what they saw. Did the company show up in values-aligned ways across departments and levels?
- Create your own checklist: Define your non-negotiables: What values are “must-haves,” “nice-to-haves,” or “deal-breakers”? This framework can ground your search—and protect you from compromise.
- Trust your gut: Even if everything looks good on paper, don’t ignore a feeling that something’s off. Your intuition holds data, too.
Final thought
Doing this kind of research might take more time up front—but it can save you months (or years) of misalignment. The goal isn’t just to land a job. It’s to find a place where your contributions are valued, your identity is respected, and your values don’t have to be left at the door.
