Step 3

Qualifying Company Values

We recommend spending 30 minutes on this section.

It's important to keep in mind that both you and the company are looking for the right fit. Identifying a company's culture and values can sometimes be hard sleuth out.

Now that you've learned how to brainstorm a list of companies think back to you Values criteria from Sprint 1. If not, you can find a blank copy of our values criteria worksheet here. Take a few minutes to fill it out. Keep your most important values in mind as you look for potential employers. Read job descriptions closely to get a sense of their company culture. Do you value independence, or do you prefer having clear-well defined tasks? Do you like to keep things moving quickly, or do you prefer a more relaxed working environment? Are you big on collaboration, or do you prefer to do things your own way? Companies want to hire good culture fits, so they'll often tell you about their work environment up front.

Here are some specific tools and resources to help suss out culture, and openess to career shifters.

Key Values is another great resource for identifying companies that meet your values and priorities.tart-ups, especially early stage start-ups.

Pay attention to how the job descriptions are phrased and for keywords that signal whether the company is aligned with your values. Here's a great example from ex- AirBnb Product leader, Lenny Rachitsky, on how a company writes a thoughtful job description

A seasoned product leader and career coach, Mindy Zhang, also pointed out that the way a company highlights their values in a job description can be an indicator of cultural values and being open to career pivoters. She also outlines strong ways to ask and learn about a company's values during your conversations and interviews.