We asked W. P. Carey Alumni: What is one question you ask during an interview to ensure value alignment with a company?
Here is what they shared:
- How Does The Company Actively Portray Its Values Through Actions?
- How Do You and The Team Learn New Things and Technologies?
- How Do You Enforce and Nurture Culture According to Your Values?
- Create a Question That Caters to Your Values
1. How Does the Company Actively Portray Its Values Through Actions?
Staying true to your individual values as a person is a critical life and career skill. In the first few years of your career, you will be challenged (positively and negatively) to work with people who have different ideologies than you, who have had easier or harder ways of getting to the same place as you, and who possess a different education or skill set than you. And, more often than not, most of the companies you will be applying to will more or less have the same corporate values when asked point blank.
Instead of asking about words that could encompass their values, ask how the company actively portrays these values through action. For instance, if they say “community” is an important value to them, drive the conversation to see the “how” behind a value – whether that means a once-a-year bulk sum donation to a preferred charity partner or once-a-week flex hours to volunteer at an organization of your choice. Always remember that actions speak much louder than words ever will.
Lauren Click, BS Marketing ‘18, Founder, Let’s Go Compost
2. How Do You and the Team Learn New Things and Technologies?
How do you and the team learn new things and technologies?” is the question I would ask during an interview to ensure value alignment with a company. When I look for a job, the most significant factor for me is the availability of advanced technologies and a culture of innovation within the company. If a company values and promotes innovation, it signals to me that I can develop professionally with the organization and work alongside top talent. For me, when a company is driven by this belief and values innovation, it is better equipped to bring about meaningful change and achieve its goals.
Winnie Yau, BS Marketing ‘17, Senior Supply Chain Analyst, Boxhub
3. How Do You Enforce and Nurture Culture According to Your Values?
Most companies, especially the bigger ones, have similar core value statements prepared, but they fall short when it comes to actually enforcing those values and modeling them from the top.
One way to gauge how well a company lives up to its values is to ask how the company goes about fostering the kind of values they claim to embody. A good company will have a clear answer for how they enforce and nurture their culture according to their values.
Brandon Cantrell, BS Marketing ‘13, Digital Communications Strategist, Aurora Mental Health & Recovery
4. Create a Question That Caters to Your Values
You need to determine what your values are. Do you value a work-life balance? Do you value transparent communication? Once you determine what you value most, you can create a question that caters to it.
On a company’s website, your values might align, but it comes down to the people you work with. Your potential co-workers are the people who are embracing the company’s values. It is important to be observant in an interview, and talk to as many people in the company as you can.
A company might say they value a collaborative environment, but after going into the office for an interview, you notice that people keep to themselves and don’t seem friendly. That is an indicator that your values do not align with the company, despite what they have presented.
Katie Poe, BS Marketing ‘22, Marketing and Social Media Coordinator, ICONIC LIFE
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