Why companies ask about core values
Values-based interviews are now standard at many organisations — particularly at tech companies, professional services firms, and mission-driven organisations. The premise: people whose personal values align with organisational values perform better, stay longer, and contribute more positively to culture. Companies like Google (its culture values intellectual humility, bias for action), Netflix (radical transparency, high performance), Atlassian (no bullshit, build with heart), and Amazon (leadership principles) have made values assessment a central part of hiring. Understanding the specific values of the company you are interviewing with is not optional preparation — it is the most important preparation for this type of interview.
How to identify and articulate your own values
Before any values-based interview, spend time genuinely reflecting on what actually drives your best work. Questions to ask yourself: When have you felt most motivated and fulfilled at work — what was happening? When have you felt most uncomfortable or conflicted at work — what values were being violated? What do you regularly sacrifice for — what do you consistently prioritise over other things? What would you not compromise on, even if it cost you professionally? From this reflection, identify three to five genuine values. Do not construct values that match the company's — genuine alignment is more compelling than performed alignment, and sophisticated interviewers can tell the difference. If your values genuinely do not align with the company's, that is also useful information.
Strong answers by company type
At a company that values transparency: "Honesty is probably my most consistent value — specifically being honest when a project is in trouble rather than managing impressions until it is too late. I have found that teams and stakeholders handle bad news much better when it comes early and directly. The worst outcomes I have seen came from trying to protect people from reality." At a company that values customer obsession: "I am driven by the quality of what I make and its impact on the people who use it. I find it easy to care deeply about customers — maybe because I have always used the products I worked on as a real user. It makes the work feel concrete and meaningful." At a company that values continuous learning: "I am someone who gets genuinely uncomfortable when I am not learning. I tend to take on roles that stretch me beyond what I already know, which sometimes means I am slower to start but usually means I grow quickly and contribute more over time."
What to do when your values and the company's do not match
Values misalignment is a real risk that interviews should surface, not paper over. If you discover in research that a company's stated values and actual behaviours diverge (common — values on the wall do not always match values in practice), ask about it directly: "How do these values show up in day-to-day decisions? Can you give me an example of a time the team held to one of these values even when it was difficult?" The answers are revealing. If the values genuinely do not resonate with how you work best, that is useful information — it is better to find this out now than three months into a role where you feel misaligned with the culture.