Ask HN: Hiring managers, what is your definition of company culture?

8 points·SethMurphy··2 comments

Expectations of the makeup and demands of a good company have changed a lot since I last interviewed for a full time job and especially during the pandemic. What does the term "Company culture" mean now to hiring managers and are there questions that you should or shouldn't ask during an interview to gauge what the company culture is?

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Culture is what is there when you subtract work and manager. Defining a "good" culture depends on your personal work style, role, experience and general life priorities.

Interviews are much more of an art than science and asking good questions is hard. In general, they should be open-ended and get people out of their comfort zone to avoid canned answers. At the same time it's an interview, so you will want to leave on a positive note.

My advice would be to think of what is important to you at work. Then research about the company (maybe also by talking to current/past employees). In the interview, carefully probe for any red flags to confirm your suspicions. Personally, I'd go for things like work/life balance, WFH and career progression due to Covid, but that's very much up to you.

Related: Masters of Scale podcast on Netflix “Culture Deck”

>https://mastersofscale.com/reed-hastings-culture-shock/

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