Don’t Discount Culture
High Tech on the Low hosted by Jordan Kastrinsky, is on a mission to make high-tech accessible to the world. In my podcast, I explore the many different facets of the world of high tech from development to marketing, to sales, to entrepreneurship, and more! With society turning ever more towards technological solutions to make processes more efficient and secure, it is important, now more than ever, that we unite the high-tech sector’s collective resources under one roof to reap the benefits of this knowledge-sharing. There is so much opportunity out there to grow within the industry that we must provide the tools through which to do so.
When we think of tech, we think of machines, robots, advanced algorithms, cool products — the future. But what about the actual people that make up these wonderful ventures? A recent report by Glassdoor indicates that nearly 65% of employees place significant weight on company culture when searching for a job in the tech sector. What does company culture mean?
“Helping to establish processes, decide what is important to us, and how we ‘beat’ our competition” is what Keren refers to when she describes company culture. At the end of the day, according to Keren, these are key elements for developing a company’s internal value successfully. By creating a unified company culture in this way, you help determine the talent pool that will be attracted to your venture. Those who ‘vibe’ with your company’s product and culture are more likely to apply and will more likely be the type of employee you want to hire. “Culture is winning the people, if you don’t succeed in creating it, it won’t create itself, you need to find it.”
With the talent shortage gripping the tech ecosystem globally and, even more so, in Israel, Keren sees company culture as being a driving force to attract employees. However, she also sees it as the company’s duty to filter out the right employees and find those who actually mesh with the company. “You want someone to join your team who has a good attitude, understands that your growth as a company is their growth.” To Keren, early hires are crucial, and during her first days at Swimm, she stresses that the hires she made then as opposed to now, are quite different. “I came in when the team was 14, now we have 42, it’s a different situation.” But, no matter what, she still strives to find the right people for the job who will be team players and fit the company mantra.
Most importantly, it is key to remember the human element in tech. There are faces, stories, and personalities behind all the great tech giants (and the smaller ones too!). Great companies can succeed with great products, but their longevity is often determined by the culture they have bred within their organizations.
Originally published at https://www.geektime.com on April 6, 2022.
