When interviewing potential candidates, being transparent with one’s culture can help everyone decide if it’s going to be a good fit for all.
Kate Catlin of Flock sat down with a group of women at Galvanize to ask them how might companies be more transparent about their culture and setting expectations for candidates. Here’s what they had to say:
How might companies be more transparent about their culture?
As hiring managers, our default perspective is the team’s point of view and how will a new person impact us more so than the candidate’s point of view which is: how will joining this team impact me? Yet this is the most common concern we at Flock hear from women. When we offer someone a job, we are asking them to spend 40+ hours per week with the same small group of people. If you want more candidates to apply, say yes to your offers and stay with the company longer, you need to help them understand who those people are.
Set expectations clearly on your website
Before a job candidate even applies, they should have some idea of what it’s like to work with you. Some suggestions from our focus group:
- Go beyond a generic description by telling stories. “We’re smart, hardworking and like each other,” could describe many teams. “Every Wednesday, the CEO arrives early to make us waffles and last week the maple syrup exploded and…” describes only your team.
- Add a section to the website where each team member has a picture and beneath it completes the sentence, “I believe in…”
- Link directly to your Glassdoor reviews.
Get the team involved
Shouldn’t a job candidate meet the people they’ll be working with, rather than just someone from HR? Suggestions include:
- Encourage current employees to go to meetups or other community events so they can start a relationship with potential job seekers in a more natural setting.
- Schedule a group interview with members of the specific team this new employee would be joining.
- Talk about big ideas rather than just code. A great conversation helps people connect more authentically and leaves everyone feeling good regardless of the outcome.
- Offer a full, 8-hour trial day with the team.
Don’t just talk
Interviews are often forced and unnatural. Make the environment more comfortable for both sides by breaking the mold and doing something together.
Some suggestions that could be paired with a coding session could include: conduct the interview outside, take a walk or have coffee together.
Read more about interviewing strategies here at Tech.Co
