3 Questions to Ask in an Interview to Learn about a Company’s Culture

No matter where you start your career, your experience at a company will be influenced by that organization’s culture. Culture touches everything from a company’s values to its benefits to its broader sense of community, which means it’s essential to get to know the cornerstones of a company’s culture while in the interview process. 

That said, it can be difficult to pin down exactly what constitutes a company’s culture – as well as if it’s the right culture for you. That’s where asking the right questions during an interview comes in, on top of online research. But surprisingly, asking an interviewer: “How would you describe the company’s culture?” won’t give you the most authentic look into the different elements of their culture. Instead, there are several questions that can illustrate how a company is driven by its culture. 

To contextualize these questions, we’ve put together a case study in culture by speaking with team members from PURE Insurance, a fast-growing insurance carrier that specializes in the high net-worth market. PURE is a purpose-driven company that puts its people, from members to employees, first. They describe their culture as one that empowers employees to bring their whole selves to work. So what does that culture look like in practice? If you were interviewing for a role with PURE, here’s how the following questions would showcase what goes into PURE’s people-centric culture. 

Ask: How does the company invest in the professional and personal development of its employees?

Working for a company that invests in your professional growth is important, and especially when first starting your career. But everyone learns in different ways, and career priorities are uniquely personal. That’s why you can learn a lot about a company’s culture by asking how a company supports the growth of their employees. 

PURE’s approach to employee development, for example, reflects a culture that encourages a growth mindset and continued intellectual curiosity. Employees that join at the entry-level take part in a paid training program at the start of their career with PURE to learn the ropes of the job and gain fundamental professional skills. Once new employees are integrated into office life, managers take a hands-on approach to professional development through career mapping conversations, as well as offering employees access to job shadowing and mentorship programs. 

“When I was in college, my professional skills weren’t as strong as they are now,” said Sarah Evarts, a Talent Associate who started her career at PURE as a Member Advocate. “Through the training program and the consistent resources and support, I’ve really honed my invaluable professional skills.” 

However, PURE takes its development opportunities even further by offering a unique benefit called ‘Passion Courses’ where employees receive an annual stipend to explore their interests and gain new skills of any kind, as long as it’s taken at an accredited institution or they come out of it with a certification. 

From data analytics to public speaking, many employees take advantage of this benefit to hone their skills and further their careers. Other use cases are more personal, but viewed by PURE as equally important for the well-being and happiness of their team members. For example, Jonathan Gubitosa, an Underwriting Specialist, utilized the Passion Course benefit for dance lessons to prepare for his and his wife’s first dance at their wedding. 

“PURE understands that if you’re happy and accomplishing your personal goals, you’re going to be more motivated to accomplish your goals at work,” said Jonathan. 

When an interviewer can give you specific anecdotes about how the company invests in employee development, it will be that much easier to see what they want employees to bring to the workplace. 

Ask: How does the company empower employees to embody their mission and values? 

Companies often describe their mission and values as being a key part of their culture. But asking an interviewer how a company’s mission and values go beyond day-to-day work is a revealing question. 

PURE, for example, describes itself as a purpose-driven organization – so they believe that their employees should be driven by their own sense of purpose, too. That’s why in addition to company-organized social impact initiatives, PURE sponsors a paid volunteer time off program that empowers employees to give back to causes that are meaningful to them. 

For Thomas Bestul, a Member Advocate at PURE, the paid time off program allowed him to maintain his sense of purpose by giving him the time off he needed to continue to be an annual volunteer at a summer camp for the children of cancer patients. 

“Finding a cause you’re personally connected with adds to the culture of the company,” said Thomas. “And it reaffirms the culture that PURE promotes during the interview process.” 

How a company enables employees to embody its mission will reflect just how embedded those values are in the fabric of the company, helping you understand if it’s a surface-level descriptor or a true commitment. 

Ask: How does the company prioritize the mental, physical, and financial well-being of its employees?

PURE describes its culture as one where employees feel comfortable bringing their full selves to work – and they back that description up by ensuring employees have the resources and support to thrive inside and outside of the workplace.

Through PURE’s wellness platform, employees come together as a community to participate in various challenges and programs geared toward holistic wellness. Employees also have access to guided meditation through PURE’s partnership with Headspace. 

“The resources we provide create a sense of community,” said Colin Haupt, SVP of Employee Engagement at PURE, “You don’t feel isolated or burdened trying to navigate self-improvement on your own time because others are right there with you.” 

In addition to offering programs that promote physical and mental wellness, PURE considers its financial resources an integral part of helping employees thrive. PURE offers classes to educate employees on how to manage their finances and also offers student debt repayment assistance, a standout benefit in a time when roughly 70% of students take out loans to attend college. 

Digging deeper into the initiatives a company provides to support its employees’ well-being speaks volumes to what their culture will look like – so be sure to find out what those resources are. 

These are just three of the questions you could ask in an interview to learn about culture; depending on your priorities, you might also ask how a company promotes collaboration, how they reward success, or how they build diverse teams. But whatever questions you ultimately ask, listen closely to how policies and formal initiatives support the foundation of the company’s culture. After all, actions speak louder than buzzwords. 

Learn more about PURE Insurance here.