Should you consider a company’s culture when searching for a job? Does it really matter?

Yes. It matters.
It matters a lot.
Even if you think you could manage to work at any company, the way you work would tell a different story.
The reality is, you can’t fit in everywhere because your specific way of working could clash with that company’s values. You wouldn’t ‘fit’.
But how could you recognize and/or define it?

Companies who care about cultural fit would post a description in their job offers along with their values so it is easier for candidates to reflect and try to understand them.
But sometimes how these attributes are applied in day to day work is not really clear.

After reading an interesting post by blogger Don Sull, who writes for the Financial Times, called “Building operational agility: Culture”, I was thinking about how RB manages to do this.
Don says that “RB screens potential employees based on their fit with company’s culture”.
He adds: “The first step is clearly articulating what a company’s values are, and how they translate into concrete action . . . Reckitt Benckiser encourages potential employees to pre-screen themselves based on their fit with the company’s values. Interested candidates can take an online simulation that reflect critical corporate values – teamwork, say, or achievement.”

RB does not assume that culture is something you can learn – it is something that comes with the person.
And so I think it is really important to identify your own values at work in order to match them with a company’s values.
Or, if you are job hunting, think about how your values match with a company you want to work for.

It takes a certain type of person to thrive at RB and the company has done everything it can to ensure anyone looking to join knows the way we work.
There is an Are We Right for You? page on our corporate website which details what life at RB is like.
Plus, if you are interested in finding out if you would fit in to the RB culture, try the RB Core Values Challenge. And even if you don’t fit, it’s worth doing as you could discover some key points about who you are and your behaviour at work.
This blog is also an ideal place to discover what sort of people work at RB and how they function here.
And, as ever, if there is anything you want to know or would like any of us to elaborate on, you only have to leave a comment.

Good luck