Company culture is vital for long-term success, even if it doesn't seem like an immediate risk. As The Muse grew from 12 to over 80 employees, I realized that establishing core values and ensuring alignment during hiring is essential for maintaining a strong culture. The culture screen of asking if you'd want to get a beer with someone can overlook incredible candidates who are different from you.

We have core values interviewers who focus on cultural fit, separate from functional interviewers, to ensure alignment with our values.

To build The Muse, we focused on creating valuable career content to attract users before we had job listings, which helped us establish a marketplace.

We emphasize hiring people who align with our mission rather than those motivated solely by financial gain or personal challenges.

We created a core values interview process to ensure that new hires share our beliefs and values, which is crucial for maintaining our culture.

The Muse helps people figure out what they want to do with their lives by providing career advice and insights into different roles within companies.

When acquiring companies, we look for alignment with our culture and mission; if a potential acquisition does not fit our values, we will not proceed, even if the service is appealing.

It's essential to be disciplined about hiring; I prioritize finding candidates who align with our values, even if it means waiting longer to fill a position.

We look for candidates who demonstrate a deep, sometimes irrational passion for our work, as this often indicates a strong commitment and potential for impact.