When Culture Is Clear, the Data Shows It

‍When Culture Is Clear, the Data Shows It‍

Company culture is often described as intangible, difficult to define, hard to measure, and easy to overlook amid business pressures. Yet our experience and feedback data show that culture is not only experienced, it is measurable, and how it is communicated can have a significant impact on hiring outcomes.

Our team of Consultants, led by our Head of Resourcing, Amanda Galloway, currently holds an impressive 95% satisfaction rating from candidates and 97% from clients when it comes to culture. These ratings reflect our ability to understand and articulate each client’s company culture, ensuring candidates not only fit the role but are genuinely excited to work within the organisation. Feedback consistently highlights clarity, trust, communication, and feeling supported, all indicators of how effectively we convey and represent a client’s culture throughout the recruitment process.

Candidates increasingly assess culture early

Today’s candidates do more than read job descriptions or evaluate salary and benefits. They actively investigate how organisations operate, how decisions are made, how employees are treated, and how development is supported. Through conversations with recruiters, online research, and discussions with current employees, candidates begin forming perceptions of culture long before any offer stage. Organisations that communicate culture clearly early in the process gain a competitive advantage, attracting talent that is aligned and engaged from the outset.

Clear culture improves alignment

When organisations can clearly articulate their values, ways of working, and leadership approach, candidates can self-assess their fit. This transparency creates stronger alignment from the outset, leading to more confident hiring decisions, smoother onboarding, and fewer late-stage withdrawals. A clearly communicated culture acts as a guide, helping both candidates and organisations make informed decisions that benefit everyone.

Experience matters as much as intent

Culture is not defined solely by mission statements or recruitment materials. It is lived and experienced through interactions, via communication, transparency, and consistency across teams. Recruiter feedback provides a unique lens into this lived experience, highlighting whether cultural promises translate into tangible experiences. High satisfaction scores, like those achieved by Amanda and our team, signal that an organisation’s culture is not just aspirational but actively felt, recognised, and valued by both clients and candidates.

Using Feedback to Understand Culture

To make this measurable, we use Recruiter Insider, a feedback platform that captures structured input from candidates and clients at all stages of the recruitment lifecycle, from initial engagement, interviews, and offers, through to post-placement follow-up.

This is particularly valuable at the aftercare stage, where we check in with both candidates and clients after a placement to confirm that the role, environment, and culture are the right fit. Gathering feedback at this point allows us to validate alignment, spot potential issues early, and ensure a positive experience for both parties.

Through this insight, we can:

• Reflect     candidates’ perceptions of culture to improve communication and engagement
• Confirm     cultural and organisational fit post-placement
• Provide     clients with actionable feedback on how their culture is perceived     externally

The result is a recruitment process that not only fills roles but ensures that culture is experienced and appreciated, creating stronger alignment, better engagement, and more successful long-term placements.

Turning insight into action

The value of feedback data lies in how it is used. Organisations that reflect on these insights can strengthen their cultural narrative, improve candidate alignment, enhance onboarding, and address misalignment before it escalates. By making culture measurable and visible through structured feedback, we move beyond assumptions and help ensure that every placement is a positive, successful match for both clients and candidates.

At Adams + Oliver, we help organisations translate their culture into experiences candidates understand and value. Because while culture may feel intangible, the outcomes,  engagement, alignment, and retention,  are very real.

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