Creating a positive, high-performing graduate cohort can feel challenging. How do you build trust quickly, create connection, and encourage contribution across a group of individuals just starting their careers?
While onboarding, mentoring, and management all play a role, we want to shine a light on a less talked-about factor – one that can shape the entire feel of a graduate program before it even begins.
For today’s graduates, a strong cohort culture is influenced by whether a company’s values feel real, inclusive, and aligned with what they care about: purpose, progress, people, and impact.
In this edition of our Gen Z Spotlight, we speak with Sarina, who shares her perspective on how values influence Gen Z’s perception of company culture, how that translates into energy and connection within a cohort, and how companies can demonstrate their values through action – not just branding or buzzwords.
Why are company values important to you when considering where to work or build your career?
Company values are important because they set the tone for workplace culture and decision-making. To put it in Gen Z terms: it helps us to scope the “vibe” of a workplace. In my experience, I use it to determine if a company is a good fit by seeing if their values align with my own. If they don’t, it can be the reason I filter out a company when applying for jobs.
Employment is a two-way street: while you’re deciding if I’m the right person for the position, I’m also figuring out if your workplace is where I want to invest my time and energy.
Have you ever been in a workplace or cohort where the company’s values felt real? How did that influence how you showed up or felt at work?
During one of my internships, I worked at a company whose values included “enjoyment”. I actually did a double take when I first read it, because it wasn’t one of the generic values I was used to seeing. But it made so much sense once I started working, as they had an awesome company culture and plenty of social events for employees.
I felt welcomed from day one, and the environment was so friendly and warm. That kind of culture made a huge difference in how I felt at work, and I genuinely looked forward to being there each day.
What values do you personally look for in an employer, and what makes those stand out to you?
What stands out to me isn’t necessarily which values a company chooses, but whether they’re genuinely reflected in how the company operates.
There isn’t a “right answer” when it comes to values – and there shouldn’t be. If there were, every company would list the same ones, which would defeat the purpose of having them. Values should be authentic, unique to the organisation, and aligned with how they want to grow and operate.
Personally, I take pride in producing high-quality work, so I appreciate values around excellence and continuous improvement. However, I know some of my peers greatly value creativity, while others are drawn to sustainability and environmental impact.
The best values are the ones that are real, shared by both the company and its employees.
When a company communicates their values, what helps you believe they’re genuine? What actions or signals help you feel like it’s more than just words on a website?
Anyone can list a bunch of values, but what matters is seeing them actively embraced – in how people work, how decisions are made, and how teams are supported.
If a company only rewards individual achievements and independent productivity in performance reviews, I’d be skeptical if they claimed to value collaboration. If a company says they care about well-being, but everyone I know who works there is overworked or burnt out, I’d have questions.
Conversely, when a company offers meaningful employee benefits (e.g. mental well-being days, flexible work arrangements, professional development support), it shows that they genuinely care.
Put bluntly: they put their money where their mouth is. And it doesn’t always have to be money – it can be time and resources too. Having active diversity networks is a great way to champion inclusion, while hosting regular social events shows that a company values connection and social well-being.
Actions speak louder than words; show us how and why you care.
In your experience, how do shared values influence the dynamic within a graduate or intern cohort? What impact does that have on how people connect, collaborate, or support each other?
My take on this is that it’s okay for everyone’s personal values to differ – in fact, I would actually hope this is the case. It means you’re bringing a range of perspectives and experiences to the table, which makes the team stronger through diversity of thought. Celebrating those differences is part of what creates a dynamic cohort, pulling together everyone’s strengths and backgrounds to best support one another.
That said, there are some foundational values that everyone needs to share in order for the group to work well together. In particular: respect and willingness to collaborate. These form the basis for trust, open communication, and a supportive environment. A graduate or intern cohort will do well when built on mutual respect and a shared sense of purpose, and absolutely flourish when mixed in with everyone’s individual values.
Are there any misconceptions you think people have about Gen Z and how we relate to values or culture at work?
We’re not all the same. You can obviously say that about every generation, but with Gen Z now entering the workforce, I’ve noticed a lot of generalisations being thrown around about what we supposedly want or value.
For instance, despite being classed as “digital natives”, a lot of us actually desire more in-person events and networking opportunities. Some of us (myself included) despise working remotely, and actively seek out interactions with colleagues in the workplace.
The point is, there’s no one-size-fits-all mentality that can be applied to Gen Z. Each of us hold our own unique perspectives and values, just like every generation before us. We just want to be taken seriously as individuals, and not boxed in by assumptions about our generation.
About the Gen Z Advisory Board
The Brightworks Gen Z Advisory Board was created to bridge the gap between the leaders creating early careers programs, and the employees experiencing them.
The Board comprises eight members with diverse across various industries.
As the only dedicated early careers consultancy in Australia to maintain such a board, we provide our clients with unparalleled access to authentic insights directly from emerging talent, while sharing key takeaways for all professionals in the early careers industry.
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