Look for a company with core values 🪧

The invisible work of HRs.

As engineers, we are often cynical about “Corporate Values”.

We tend to see them as marketing fluff. Pretty words written on the office walls like “Integrity”, “Passion”, or “Synergy”, meant to impress investors but largely ignored in the daily grind of the office.

We usually think that HR’s job is just to manage payroll, approve holidays, and organize the Christmas party.

I used to think that too.

Then I joined TheFork, and my perspective changed completely.

The “Random” Feeling of Belonging

When I started working at TheFork, I noticed something strange immediately.

I looked around, interacted with colleagues from different teams, different backgrounds, and different nationalities. And yet, I had this distinct sensation:

“These are my people”.

It wasn’t just about technical skills. It was about attitude.

Almost everyone I met shared a similar wavelength: they were ambitious but humble, direct but kind, pragmatic but visionary.

Collaborating with them felt effortless. The social friction was near zero.

For a while, I thought I was just lucky. I thought I had stumbled into a statistical anomaly where great people just happened to congregate in the same building.

I was wrong. It wasn’t luck.

It was the result of a rigorous, deliberate selection process based on Core Values.

HRs as Culture Curators

We need to give credit where credit is due: this is the invisible, underrated work of HR and Talent Acquisition teams.

When they interview you, they aren’t just checking if you know Java or React. They are checking if your “operating system” is compatible with the rest of the organization.

Core Values are not motivational posters; they are the specific criteria used to build the team.

If an HR team does its job well, they act as guardians. They filter out people who—no matter how talented or brilliant—would introduce toxicity, politics, or instability because their core beliefs don’t match the mission of the organization.

Why Shared Values Increase Speed

Why is this “sameness” in values so important for productivity?

Because when values clash, work stops.

Imagine a company that values “Radical Candor” hiring a manager who values “Diplomacy and Hierarchy”.

• The honest employee will give blunt feedback, thinking they are helping.

• The diplomatic manager will feel disrespected and offended.

• Result: Drama, meetings to resolve conflicts, and wasted energy.

When everyone shares the same values, you achieve Implicit Consensus.

You don’t have to argue about how to behave or how to treat each other. You already agree on the rules of the game. You can skip the politics and focus entirely on the work.

The Hidden Cost of Culture Mismatch

On the flip side, ignoring these values is dangerous.

If you accept a job only for the money or the tech stack, disregarding the culture, you are setting yourself up for burnout.

When you work in an environment that conflicts with your core nature, you are constantly swimming upstream.

If you are a “Maker” who loves deep focus, but you join a company that values “Hyper-Collaboration” and constant meetings, you will end every day exhausted. Not because you worked too hard, but because you had to wear a mask for 8 hours.

This brings a high risk of Culture Mismatch.

You might start thinking that you are not good enough, or that you are underperforming. In reality, you are just a fish trying to climb a tree.

Finding a company with aligned values is not just about productivity; it is about protecting your mental health.

Famous Examples of Behavioral Standards

The best tech companies are obsessed with this. They often don’t even call them “values” to avoid the cliché; they call them principles or behaviors to emphasize that they are practical tools, not abstract ideals.

• Amazon uses “Leadership Principles”. They are famous for Customer Obsession and Bias for Action. If you are someone who loves endless academic debate before moving a finger, you will struggle there. You will be rejected by the system because you violate the protocol of speed.

• Netflix is explicit about "People Over Process". Their memo states clearly: "We model ourselves on a professional sports team, not a family". They look for unusually responsible people who thrive on freedom and "Context, not Control". If you need strict rules or unconditional job security to feel safe, you will fail there.

• Airbnb has “Core Values” like Be a Host and Be a Cereal Entrepreneur (a nod to their founders’ resourcefulness). They specifically look for people who are naturally hospitable and scrappy.

These frameworks create a predictable environment where people know exactly what is expected of them.

The Antithesis: The “Echo Chamber” Trap

Now, I know what you might be thinking.

“Wait, Giovanni. If everyone is the same, isn’t that dangerous? Don’t we need diversity?”

This is a valid objection.

There is a famous perspective, often discussed by thinkers like Paul Graham, that warns against hiring only “people like us”.

Graham argues that to do truly innovative work, you need independent thinkers. If an organization is too homogeneous, it becomes a cult. You risk creating an echo chamber where no one dares to tell the Emperor that he is naked because they are all too busy agreeing with each other.

If everyone thinks exactly the same way, you have a huge blind spot.

But here is the crucial distinction:

We need Diversity of Thought, not Diversity of Values.

• Diversity of Thought (Graham’s Point): I want a team with different backgrounds, different genders, and different approaches to problem-solving. I want someone to challenge my strategy. I want someone to see risks I don’t see. I want the “independent thinker” who questions the status quo.

• Shared Values (The Foundation): I want us all to agree on how we treat each other while we disagree.

If one of your company values is “Trust” or “Truth-Seeking”, then the person who stands up to say “The Emperor is naked” is not breaking the culture. They are upholding it!

You want people who might disagree on the solution, but agree on the mission and the ethics.

At TheFork, I found people who were very different from me in terms of life experiences (high diversity), but identical to me in their drive and respect for others (shared values).

That is the sweet spot.

Conclusion

When you are looking for your next job, don’t just look at the salary or the remote policy.

Reverse interview them. Ask about their values.

• “How do you make decisions here?”

• “What behavior gets rewarded and what gets punished?”

• “What happens when things go wrong?”

If they give you generic, fluffy answers, be careful.

But if they give you specific, strong answers—and if those answers resonate with who you are—then pay attention.

You might be about to find a place where the “invisible work” of HR has created an environment where you don’t just work, but you belong.

And when you belong, everything becomes easier.