One: corporate culture. Two: good working conditions. Three: training opportunities. These are the top three reasons why someone chooses an employer and feels committed to staying there long-term. This is what entry-level engineers indicate after their first experiences in the job market (source: Runway survey ie-net 2022).
What is corporate culture?
Corporate culture, all well and good. But what exactly is corporate culture, and how do you know when you are dealing with an appropriate corporate culture? Especially at a stage when you don't know companies yet. Not simple. Yet more signals than you think tell you something about the culture in a company.
Types of corporate culture
There are several models that classify corporate cultures, but one of the best known is Charles Handy's model, which distinguishes four main types. Below we list the different corporate cultures within this model.
- The power culture, characterised by a central power structure where decisions are made by a small group (or person).
- The role culture, which feels bureaucratic. A culture where clear roles and responsibilities are delineated, and which has a very hierarchical structure.
- The job culture. Very strongly project-oriented. Results are key here and team collaboration is a must.
- The person culture, where the individual is central. There is little hierarchy here and autonomy is extremely important.
5 tips to find out which company culture suits you
- Know what you need to grow
- Engage in online research
- Probe during the job interview
- Follow your gut feeling
- Be guided
Tip 1: Know what you need to grow
An appropriate corporate culture is different for everyone. An environment that makes you grow and develop yourself may be a different story for you than for the fellow engineers you graduated with. Your personality, ambitions and outlook on life are all factors that determine in which environment you feel comfortable. Yourself know well, so that's where it starts.
Tip 2: Engage in online research
Not beatific, but worth checking out. The company's website and socials. Why? You get a sense of how a company communicates, how it interacts with the outside world and what mission and values it pursues. Playfully worded, scientifically based. Straightforward, straightforward. Which style attracts you most?
"Just as the company may probe whether you fit in, you may as well do the reverse."
Tip 3: probe during the application process
A job interview does not have to be all about you. Just as the company is allowed to probe whether you fit in, you may as well do the reverse. How? By asking and by asking: how will I be supervised as a new colleague? Can I already get to know the team and the environment I will be working in? What about career opportunities horizontally or vertically?
Tip 4: follow your gut feeling
Feeling comfortable right away. Enduring cross-examination. Hearing monologues. A strange interaction between two interviewers. Throughout the job interview, a certain feeling creeps up on you. Sometimes it is untamed enthusiasm, sometimes it is an indefinable doubt. Dare to listen to your feelings. A 'no' is also an option.
Tip 5: get guidance
Getting into the corporate culture where you feel comfortable? Above all, it requires a lot of self-insight and sufficient affinity with the company you are talking to. That is why an independent view is an extra asset. An expert who determines with you what you need and who knows the companies. Who estimates in advance where the match lies. It saves you valuable time. That is exactly where CTRL-F experts guide you.
Conclusion
There are different types of corporate cultures, each with their own characteristics and ways of working. The key is to find that culture that feels right for you. Chances are that this is an organisation whose values and standards align with your own. Because only then will you really feel at home - and that is the best basis for a sustainable career.
