Virtual alumni employer panel to navigate company culture

Job seekers have much to navigate when it comes to applying for a position. One such consideration is company culture – or what shapes the everyday working environment and defines the acceptable way to behave in an organization. A virtual alumni employer panel titled “Assessing Company Culture,” hosted by the Auburn Engineering Office of Career Development and Corporate Relations, will tackle this topic on Tuesday, Oct. 26 from 4-6 p.m. 

Moderated by 1990 electrical engineering alumnus Kenneth Kelly, chair of the Auburn Alumni Engineering Council and CEO of First Independence Bank, the panel will feature:

• Denise Raper, ’92 computer science and software engineering, Vice President of VisaNet Architecture and Consulting at Visa;
• Sharlene Evans, ’86 industrial and systems engineering, Chief People Officer at Myrtle Consulting Group, part of Accenture;
• Tom Garrett, ’85 civil engineering, Vice President and CHRO at Brasfield and Gorrie;
• Ashley Barnes, ’13 civil engineering, Renewable Operations Engineer at Alabama Power. 

“Every company has a strong culture. It may not be a good culture, but every company has a culture,” said Garrett. “It’s important to detect what the culture is and whether it fits with your goals as an applicant. Culture can be undervalued and students are rarely taught what to look for or how to evaluate company culture.” 

Attendees can expect to learn what comprises a company’s culture, why culture should matter to a potential job applicant and what to look for to find a good fit. With the theme of equity, diversity and inclusion in the workplace in mind, the conversation will advise attendees on how to decode the power structure of an organization and what that might mean for a potential candidate’s career trajectory should they choose to work there. Panelists will also touch on the current job market, where remote work is becoming more commonplace as workplace norms have shifted due to the ongoing pandemic.  

“What’s important in corporate culture depends from person to person,” Raper said. “In an interview setting, the applicant is interviewing the company just as much as the other way around.” 

Registration for the virtual panel can be completed on Handshake.