Many companies have shared how they take into consideration whether or not a candidate fits their company’s culture, mission, and values during the hiring process.  However, often less talked about is the side of the candidate and how they should consider company culture when seeking out opportunities.  How a company’s culture fits you is one of the most important things to keep in mind when on the job hunt, here’s why.

The Effect of Values on Work Environment

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, on average Americans ages 25-54 spend 8.8 hours working per day.  That’s more time than they’ll spend on any other activity that day, including sleeping!

When you spend so much of you life immersed doing something, that working environment should match your personal values to make you comfortable.  When those responsible for determining a company’s culture and values make an effort to clearly outline them, their efforts can be contagious and provide motivation for everyone.  One front runner in this approach is Buffer.  They clearly lay out their values not only to those within the company, but to the general public as well.  This high level of transparency offers anyone the chance to hold them accountable for what they represent, which builds trust and loyalty.

Following the Company Mission

Company values help shape the culture and work environment on a daily basis, guiding the way employees act.  A company’s mission or philosophy influences on a broader level, shaping the view of the company’s purpose and what everyone should always be working towards.  Here again, Buffer does a fantastic job.  Their overall philosophy echos their values of transparency, listening in order to understand, and constant improvement.

Another great example of a company that sticks to their mission is Good Eggs.  They set goals that, while straight forward, can be complex to keep within their industry (food).  Good Eggs is clearly committed to bettering the food system and industry, and their local communities.  This promise is not one that can be fulfilled lightly and it isn’t just Good Eggs making this promise, its their employees too who show their commitment through their daily work.  Such a strong mission makes for a driven, productive, and positive work environment.

In both of these examples, the companies explicitly state that following their mission or philosophy  is much more important than profits.  In making this a priority, both companies are making intangible contributions to the community through perpetuating practices that elevate transparent communication, customer happiness, and a better community.

What It All Means for You

So what does all this mean for you, the individual?  Having a company culture that fits you can result in a more productive, smooth running, positive work environment that you’re excited to engage with every day!  This excitement can boil over into other areas of your life outside work, such as your health, mental attitude, and outlook.  So if you didn’t think considering company culture an integral part of your job search, reconsider!

There are many guides to make sure your Facebook privacy settings are what you want them to be.  This privacy concern is actually about a piece of information that can be found via your Facebook timeline URL and used to discover your presence elsewhere online.  The information is the user name in your timeline’s URL.

But, not everyone has this.  Mine, as you can see above, is simply my name because that’s what I used when I signed up for Facebook.  If you used a username to sign up for Facebook (waaay back when that was common practice), then you should be aware that it can be used to search for other accounts you have used the same username for.  Maybe you don’t have anything you want to keep private, perhaps just an old SoundCloud account.  But if you are interested in monitoring your online presence closely, now you know this trick can be used.