2008 Great Place to Work^® Institute Awards

"[Working at Gore] is full of unique challenges/opportunities that helps/allows you to strive to be the best that you can be."

W. L. Gore & Associates

Great Place to Work^® Award for
Hiring for Culture Fit

#15: 2008 100 Best Companies to Work For® Privately Held manufacturing company, founded in 1958 5,200 employees Headquarters: Newark, DE, 29 sites in the US CEO: Terri Kelly

W.L. Gore's approach to hiring is more than a search for strong skills and talent.  Many companies talk about the importance of "culture fit" as a component of hiring, however at W.L. Gore strong practices are put into place to ensure that new hires fit into the Gore Culture.  Hiring is a team effort at Gore and the same hiring practices are used to recruit all employees, whether administrative assistants or engineers. 

W. L. Gore searches for candidates who are driven by the pursuit of an opportunity to make a difference, rather than the title or status that goes along with it.  Because the culture at Gore is highly unstructured without traditional bosses or hierarchy, they look for people who have high tolerance for the ambiguity: candidates who demonstrate initiative, self-motivation, and do not require a traditional manager.  Gore gives more weight to the candidate's potential contribution over the long-term than the short-term need to get a job done.

Candidates are typically interviewed by five to eight associates, sometimes more depending upon the role. Associates participating in interviews include potential teammates and peers as well as leaders and HR associates. They use extensive reference checks to gain a better understanding of the candidate's style of work and values on the job as much as to explore their job qualifications.  At the end of the day, hiring for culture fit creates a real team environment at Gore where employees recognize that "we are all associates and are all valued in our commitments."

"One of the best things about Gore is that the freedom allows you to grow professionally as well as on the personal side.  It is full of unique challanges/opportunities that helps/allows you to strive to be the best that you can be."

"W.L. Gore and Associates has a unique culture that focuses on the power of small teams and the fact that we are all a significant piece of the company.  We are all striving towards the same goals together."

"Freedom to do my job well is absolutely the best part of my day-to-day work."