How We Hire for Culture - Not Just Capability
Let’s be honest, every agency says they hire for culture. But if you scratch the surface, what they often mean is: “We hire people who already think and act like us.” Or worse: “We hire people we’d enjoy a pint with.”
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At GENE, we’ve spent the last few years getting a lot more intentional about what culture fit actually means, and more importantly, what it doesn’t. Because hiring just for capability doesn’t work. And hiring just for “vibes” doesn’t either.
You need people who can do the job, but you also need people who’ll challenge how the job is done, without breaking everything or everyone in the process.
So what do we look for?
1. Clarity over confidence
You don’t have to be the loudest voice in the room, but you do need to be clear - about your thinking, your limits, and how you collaborate.
2. Curiosity over credentials
Experience matters. but curiosity is what helps someone grow here. We work on weird, complex, evolving stuff. If you’re not asking “why?”, you’re probably not enjoying it.
3. Calm under pressure
Not because things should be stressful, but because in eCommerce, things change - fast - and how you respond when the unexpected hits tells us a lot.
4. A willingness to own it
We don’t look for people who never make mistakes. We look for people who take responsibility, ask for help, and learn from them.
What culture means to us
We don’t have beer taps, or beanbags, or a sign in the office that says “Be Bold” (Ours actually say “Hell Yes” and “Blah Blah Blah”).
What we do have is a set of shared behaviours that keep the whole machine running:
We help each other out, even when it’s not our job
We give feedback early and kindly
We challenge process when it slows us down
We support flexibility, because life is real
And we take our work seriously, but not ourselves
That’s our culture. Just a way of showing up that helps us deliver high-quality work again and again.
Hiring is a two-way thing
Every candidate we interview is assessing us, too. And that’s how it should be.
We want people to ask:
What’s the expectation here?
What support will I get?
What happens when I hit a wall?
How do you handle feedback, conflict, or course-correction?
We answer those questions honestly, because if the fit isn’t mutual, it’s not really a fit.
The best hires we’ve made have been people who asked tough questions. Not just about the role, but about how we work, how we lead, and how we change.
What we’ve learned
Hiring for culture isn’t about finding someone who feels familiar. It’s about spotting people who can grow with us, and grow us in return.
So we build our teams like we build our projects: with different strengths, shared context, and clear expectations.
It takes longer sometimes, but it’s always worth it.
Think you’re a good fit for how we work, even if you’ve never worked with an agency like us?
