# Grayhat Blog Tag: Company Culture > Expanded public blog context for posts tagged Company Culture. ## Page - [Company Culture Tag](https://grayhat-company-blog.grayhatstudio.workers.dev/blog/tag/company-culture) - [Company Culture Tag LLM Context](https://grayhat-company-blog.grayhatstudio.workers.dev/blog/tag/company-culture/llms.txt) - [Root LLM Context](https://grayhat-company-blog.grayhatstudio.workers.dev/blog/llms.txt) - [Root Full LLM Context](https://grayhat-company-blog.grayhatstudio.workers.dev/blog/llms-full.txt) - [Tag API](https://grayhat-company-blog.grayhatstudio.workers.dev/blog/api/public/v1/tags/company-culture) ## Tag Details - Slug: `company-culture` - Description: Not provided - Post count in current snapshot: 3 ## Current Posts - ["I can talk to machines"](https://grayhat-company-blog.grayhatstudio.workers.dev/blog/i-can-talk-to-machines) - Lessons from Saleem Koul’s journey through robotics, telecom, and engineering at scale. - [Grayhat Summer Internship - 2025](https://grayhat-company-blog.grayhatstudio.workers.dev/blog/grayhat-summer-internship-2025) - Ready to build the future (and present) with us? The Grayhat Summer Internship 2025 is officially open! If you're a university student eager to learn, build, and solve real-world problems with a passionate team, this is your chance to jump in and grow. - [I feel blue - Unveiling Culture Fit; An Immortal Myth of Recruitment](https://grayhat-company-blog.grayhatstudio.workers.dev/blog/i-feel-blue-unveiling-culture-fit-an-immortal-myth-of-recruitment) - We often find ourselves widening the gyre of recruitment practices in pursuit of filling teams with the right fit – hitting all the right notes of skill set, personality, and value. The quest to find the right fit to help us grow might as well get us on the path to make-believe land. Apologies for stumping on your bubble there, but as you run towards your familiar rock, you inadvertently overlook the diamond hidden in your path. Culturally-fit hiring strategies have set their roots deep in IT ## Child Route Content ### ["I can talk to machines"](https://grayhat-company-blog.grayhatstudio.workers.dev/blog/i-can-talk-to-machines) - Slug: `i-can-talk-to-machines` - Published: 2025-10-09T22:09:12.000+05:00 - Updated: 2025-11-04T23:26:44.000+05:00 - Reading time: 6 min - Tags: Events, Software Engineering, Company Culture - Authors: Saad Bazaz - Visibility: public We had an awesome session with Saleem Koul, senior Software Engineer who has worked for around 30 years with multiple Big Tech companies including Motorola, Nokia and more (Intel, Qualcomm). ## TLDR; Based on his extensive career at industry giants like Nokia and Motorola, Mr. Saleem Koul emphasized that large, successful companies like Nokia operate on core principles of **Focus, Innovation, and Quality**. He illustrated that the best engineers distinguish themselves by proactively seeking solutions and automating processes, not just completing assigned tasks. True innovation, he taught, comes from a personal drive to improve systems and make the work of your entire team easier and more efficient, often by identifying manual bottlenecks and creating automated solutions that enhance speed, accuracy, and scalability. Ultimately, he championed the mindset of owning a problem, finding the optimal solution, and consistently striving to elevate both the product and the people around you. Saleem Koul’s career spans robotics, embedded systems, telecom infrastructure, and 5G networks. Across these domains, his approach has been consistent: focus on solving real problems, automate wherever possible, and hold the line on engineering quality. He’s seen how large companies like Nokia operate at scale, and he’s distilled clear lessons on what it takes to become an exceptional engineer inside complex organizations. ## Early Foundations Saleem’s path began at the **Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission**, in a robotics lab experimenting with early AI methods. Long before machine learning became mainstream, he worked with **single-layer perceptrons*** and **genetic algorithm**...** ***back in the late 80s and early 90s, when AI was in its early stages. He later moved to the **University of Texas at Arlington**, where he pursued **Digital Signal and Image Processing**, **Computer Vision**, and **Medical Imaging**. His research combined **MRI’s structural data with PET’s functional imaging**, improving the clarity and diagnostic utility of scans. He also worked on early UAV stability problems, applying control theory to keep aircraft stable — well before drones were commercialized. *## Entering Telecom Saleem joined **Nortel** during the UMTS rollout, then moved to **Motorola** and later **Nokia** (via Motorola’s acquisition). His core work was in **embedded systems**, developing and testing **vocoders**, signal processing components, and low-level code for **PowerPC architectures**. At Nokia, he observed that the company’s scale and resilience rested on three clear operational principles: **Focus, Innovation, and Quality**. - **Focus** meant that projects were broken into essential, well-defined components. Distractions were minimized. - **Innovation** wasn’t about brainstorming sessions; it was about finding better ways to do the work already at hand. - **Quality** was non-negotiable — systems shipped only when they met rigorous internal standards, because failure at network scale was not an option. Saleem often emphasizes that **a great engineer isn’t the one who merely finishes the task, but the one who finds the most effective way to do it**, even if that means redesigning the approach. ## Automating the Hard Work One of his most impactful contributions was in **network testing automation**. Traditionally, telecom teams performed manual drive tests: engineers would drive through test areas at night, measuring **signal strength**, **handover performance**, and **call reliability**. This process was slow, error-prone, and heavily dependent on human coordination. Saleem developed a fully automated system — later nicknamed the **Uber Driver** project. Using **Snapdragon devices**, **Qualcomm QXDM**, GPS triggers, and custom scripts, his solution automated the entire process: data collection, post-processing, visualization, and reporting. By morning, the system generated **Google Earth maps** and **presentation decks** without human intervention. The result was a **14× reduction in testing time**. More importantly, it shifted how teams thought about field validation. **“Lab simulations are useful, but real-world testing tells you the truth,” he would often point out. Environmental factors like vegetation, air quality, or building density rarely matched lab conditions. His insistence on real-world data improved network reliability and forced teams to confront gaps in their assumptions.*## Multimedia and 5G Saleem also led efforts to demonstrate **5G multimedia streaming** at **26 GHz and 39 GHz** bands. These live demos involved transmitting **4K and 8K video** over directional links — a technically demanding task that revealed issues like line-of-sight sensitivity, multi-base station synchronization, and OS-specific bugs. His role was to ensure these demos worked **end-to-end**, across devices, networks, and platforms. It was an example of how deep technical expertise, combined with disciplined execution, enables innovation at scale. ## Navigating Large Organizations Saleem is candid about the realities of working inside large technology companies. Technical excellence is essential, but **organizational dynamics** play a major role. Promotions often lead to managerial tracks, where technical work is replaced by politics and coordination. He consciously chose to remain on the engineering track, focusing on building systems rather than managing teams. **“If you’re technically strong, the system will always need you,” he says. “But at some point, you peak at a certain engineering level.”## Mentorship and Leadership Saleem spent time as an **educational leader** for Nokia, mentoring interns. He highlights the rewarding nature of seeing their mentees go on to successful careers, often earning more money and securing better jobs than they had. He stressed that having a non-traditional degree (like a BA or a Mining Engineering degree) is not a barrier in the US corporate culture if one is enthusiastic and performs well. He reflects on his career trajectory, explaining why he **chose not to move into managerial roles** despite reaching the top of the technical ladder. He **disliked corporate politics**, which became more intense at higher managerial levels. Although there is some politics in technical roles as well, he emphasized that **strong technical skills make one indispensable**. This dislike for politics ultimately shaped his decision to remain in technical and innovation-driven roles rather than pursuing senior management positions. Saleem’s manager once encouraged him to move into a managerial position, given his years of experience and technical strength. Saleem declined. He explained that he preferred solving problems directly rather than managing people or politics. His exact phrasing was: ****“**I told him**, I can talk to machines. I can’t talk to people.”**## On Programming (C Language) and Embedded Systems When asked about their favorite aspects of **C programming**, Saleem explains: - His work started off mostly on **embedded systems**, with limited memory and processing power. - Libraries and high-level abstractions common on PCs were not feasible; instead, **efficient C and assembly** were required to work with microcontrollers like **Motorola 68040** and **PowerPC**. Over time, they worked across many domains — **electrical engineering, mechatronics, robotics**, and software — before finding their niche. ## Reflections on Skills, Innovation, and Workplace Realities **Innovation is self-driven**: No one told Saleem to innovate; he identified inefficiencies and built better solutions. To **stand out as an engineer**, one must: - Be proactive in problem-solving. - Strive for the **“best way”** among many possible solutions. Saleem recalled his early days manually calculating throughput line by line in terminals before automating testing, which drastically improved speed and efficiency. **"I'll tell you clearly, from my experience, your boss will never tell you to innovate... No one ever told me, this isn't good, do this, do that, it'll be so much better. No! I have a nerdy habit, if I am doing something redundant, I get bored... and then I automate it!"## Global Standards, Academia, and Technological Roots Saleem briefly traced **technological foundations**: - Mentioned **Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM)**, **cosine transform** (core of JPEG), and figures like **Dr. K. R. Rao** (University of Texas at Arlington), his supervisor, whose work became industry standards. - Standards compliance involves massive, detailed requirement PDFs that all vendors must follow. Saleem emphasize how **industry builds on academic research**, but commercialization requires strict global standardization. ## Observations from Home After returning to Pakistan, Saleem continued working remotely for US companies. Eventually, **taxation issues and unreliable infrastructure** made it unsustainable. He has been clear in his assessment of the local tech landscape: Pakistan remains in a **catch-up phase**, often competing on cost rather than building ecosystems. In contrast, India’s early investments in infrastructure and capability have allowed it to leap forward. ## Takeaways Saleem’s career offers practical lessons for engineers and organizations alike: - **Anchor in Focus, Innovation, and Quality.** These principles scale. - **Automate wherever possible.** If a task is repetitive, make it disappear. - **Validate in the real world.** Simulations have limits. - **Stay technically sharp.** Strong engineers shape products as much as managers. - **Adapt to structures but don’t be consumed by them.** His journey reflects how sustained technical excellence, applied consistently over decades, can shape industries — often without fanfare. *One with the team. ### [Grayhat Summer Internship - 2025](https://grayhat-company-blog.grayhatstudio.workers.dev/blog/grayhat-summer-internship-2025) - Slug: `grayhat-summer-internship-2025` - Published: 2025-05-12T01:45:54.000+05:00 - Updated: 2025-05-20T16:34:09.000+05:00 - Reading time: 11 min - Tags: Announcements, Internship, Company Culture, Upskill - Authors: Talal Ahmed Khan - Visibility: public Every summer at Grayhat, we open our (virtual) doors to a group of curious, driven, and collaborative university students who are excited to build real-world projects, solve meaningful problems, and grow in an environment that values experimentation and impact. This year, we’re back—and better than ever! Join our Discord in the meanwhile: https://discord.gg/xcBpqMDP2E ## Are we all you want in an internship? At Grayhat, our summer internship program offers a dynamic experience designed to help you thrive in your career endeavors. Our challenging work environment will support and nourish both your professional and personal growth. We look for interns with fresh ideas, insights, and a knack for growth. The experience is all serious work with a pinch of fun! If you want to work for a company that challenges you and recognizes your contributions, Grayhat is the employer for you! ## Who is she? Grayhat? Oh, she’s full of wonders. Offers services. Has her own product. Open-source contributions. Beyond her product Omni, she is dramatically expanding into services in AI, Game Development, Web Dev and Mobile Dev, you name it! Work ** Upon arrival at Grayhat, interns are given meaningful work assignments that have a direct impact on the business. Interns set a personal development goal as well as professional development goals with their managers on their first day. These goals allow interns to drive their own career development and experiences while at Grayhat. We give interns the autonomy to create, get involved, make mistakes, and get a chance to tug on the turbulent industry ropes. Grow ** We believe in individual growth. Therefore, intern growth is not only encouraged, it is the expectation! We have both formal and informal programs designed to mentor our interns and help them advance their personal and professional journeys from good to GREAT! Experience ** If you ask any of our past interns, they will tell you that no day is ever the same! In between working on your project goals, you would have the opportunity to participate in team brainstorms, attend company meetings led by our Senior Leadership, collaborate, break bread together, and even enjoy our activity days! ## Open Positions UI/UX ** Join our dynamic design team as a UI/UX Design Intern and contribute to creating user-centered and visually compelling digital experiences. This internship offers the opportunity to be involved in the full spectrum of the design process, from understanding user needs to crafting intuitive interfaces. If you are passionate about both the science of user experience and the art of user interface design, and eager to create impactful digital products, we encourage you to apply! **Requirements** - A strong portfolio showcasing your understanding of both UI and UX principles and your design process. - Proficiency in design and prototyping tools such as Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD (or similar). - Familiarity with user research methods and the ability to translate insights into design decisions. - Experience in creating user flows, wireframes, and interactive prototypes. - Solid understanding of visual design principles, typography, color theory, and layout. - Knowledge of usability and accessibility best practices. - Strong knowledge of human-computer interface (HCI) - Strong knowledge of User Experience techniques - (bonus) Familiarity with Design Sprints - Strong communication and collaboration skills. - A user-centric mindset with a passion for creating effective, enjoyable, and aesthetically pleasing digital experiences. Product Design ** Become an integral part of our product development team as a Product Design Intern, contributing to the creation of user-centered and innovative products. This internship offers a unique opportunity to be involved in the entire product lifecycle, from ideation to iteration. If you have a passion for understanding user needs, solving complex problems through design, and creating impactful and user-friendly products, we encourage you to apply! **Requirements** - A strong portfolio showcasing your design process and problem-solving skills. - Familiarity with user-centered design (UCD) principles and methodologies. - Strong understanding of the product design lifecycle (or Industrial Design life cycle) - Proficiency in design and prototyping tools such as Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD (or similar). - Basic proficiency in 3D modelling tools like Sketchup. - Understanding of user research methods and the ability to translate insights into design decisions. - Experience with creating wireframes, prototypes, and user flows. - Basic understanding of visual design principles, usability, and accessibility. - Strong communication and collaboration skills. - A curious and empathetic mindset with a passion for creating meaningful products. Web, Interaction and Graphic Design ** Join our creative team as a Web, Interaction, and Graphic Design Intern and contribute to crafting engaging and visually appealing digital experiences. This internship offers a unique opportunity to blend your passion for aesthetics, user-centered design, and web functionality. If you have a strong visual eye, an understanding of user interaction principles, and a desire to create impactful digital products, we'd love to hear from you! **Requirements** - A portfolio showcasing your design skills in web design, graphic design, and/or interaction design. - Proficiency in design software such as Adobe Photoshop, After Effects, Illustrator, and Figma (or similar), OR proficiency in web design tools like Framer, Webflow, Wordpress - Understanding of animation design and implementation - Basic understanding of web design principles, including layout, typography, and color theory. - Familiarity with user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) concepts. - Basic knowledge of HTML and CSS is desirable. - Understanding of responsive design principles. - Strong understanding of graphic design principles. - Strong visual communication skills and attention to detail. - Ability to work collaboratively and incorporate feedback. - A passion for creating user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing digital experiences. Artificial Intelligence (AI) ** Join our cutting-edge AI team as an intern focused on the exciting intersection of Machine Learning Operations (MLOps) and Natural Language Processing (NLP). This unique opportunity will allow you to contribute to the development, deployment, and optimization of intelligent systems that understand and process human language. If you have a strong foundation in programming and a keen interest in both the engineering aspects of AI and the fascinating world of language, this internship offers a valuable chance to gain hands-on experience in two critical and rapidly growing areas of artificial intelligence. **Requirements** - Solid understanding of fundamental programming concepts. - Familiarity with machine learning concepts and workflows. - Basic understanding of Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques (e.g., text preprocessing, sentiment analysis, language modeling). - Exposure to or a strong interest in learning about MLOps principles, including model deployment, monitoring, and version control using tools like MLflow or similar. - Familiarity with data versioning concepts and tools like DVC (Data Version Control) is a plus. - Familiarity with relevant libraries and frameworks in both ML (e.g., TensorFlow, PyTorch, scikit-learn) and NLP (e.g., NLTK, spaCy, transformers). - Understanding of data manipulation and analysis using libraries like Pandas and NumPy. - Basic understanding of containerization technologies (e.g., Docker) and cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP) is a plus. - Strong analytical and problem-solving skills. - Excellent communication and a proactive approach to learning and contributing to a dynamic team. - Familiarity with version control systems like Git. Game Development ** Join our programming team as a Game Development Intern and contribute to the core mechanics and systems that drive our games. If you have a solid foundation in programming, enjoy tackling complex technical challenges within a creative context, and are eager to see your code bring game worlds to life, this internship offers a unique opportunity to hone your programming skills in the exciting field of game development. **Requirements** - Strong proficiency in at least one relevant programming language (e.g., C#, C++). - Basic understanding of object-oriented programming (OOP) principles. - Familiarity with game engine architecture and scripting (e.g., Unity's MonoBehaviour, Unreal Engine's Actors). - Understanding of fundamental concepts in game programming (e.g., physics, AI, animation). - Experience with version control systems like Git. - Strong analytical and problem-solving skills. - A passion for video games and a desire to contribute to gameplay and technical implementation. Game Tools Engineer ** Join our dynamic team as a Game Tools Engineering Intern and contribute to the development and maintenance of tools that support our game developers and enhance our game development pipeline. This internship offers an exciting opportunity to learn about the game development process and gain hands-on experience in creating solutions that empower other developers. We are looking for enthusiastic candidates with a foundational understanding of Unity and C#, a passion for problem-solving, and a strong desire to learn about game development tools, software architecture, networking principles, and low-level programming concepts. **Requirements** - Basic understanding of Unity and C# programming. - Familiarity with the C# syntax and a willingness to write clean code. - Interest in learning about algorithms and their application in game development. - Eagerness to learn the design, development, and maintenance of custom Unity Editor tools and plugins. - Interest in understanding how tools can improve workflows for asset management, level design, data visualization, and debugging. - Willingness to learn about maintaining custom packages within Unity. - A desire to identify potential bottlenecks in the development pipeline and explore tool-based solutions. - Basic familiarity with version control concepts, ideally Git. - Developing debugging skills and a willingness to learn how to identify and resolve issues in Unity projects. - Interested in backend development. - Interest in understanding the game development life cycle (GDLC) or SDLC. - Ability to work collaboratively within a team and contribute to tool development tasks. - Strong communication skills and a willingness to ask questions and learn from experienced developers. - Currently pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related field with coursework in Computer Networks and Software Architecture. - Basic understanding of networking concepts and socket programming is a plus. - Above average grades in introductory programming, software development, computer networks, and software architecture coursework are a plus. Web Development ** Join as a Web Development Intern to assist in building and maintaining engaging and functional web apps. If you have a keen interest in front-end and back-end technologies, enjoy problem-solving, and are ready to work on real-world projects, this is the perfect opportunity for you. **Requirements** - Knowledge of HTML, JavaScript, and relevant web development frameworks. - Basic understanding of server-side languages such as React.js, Next.js, or Node.js. - Familiarity with version control systems like Git. - Strong problem-solving abilities and a proactive mindset. - Experience with responsive and adaptive design is desirable. Software Engineering ** Join our team at Grayhat as a Software Engineering Intern, contributing to the successful planning, execution, and delivery of our software development projects. If you have strong organizational and communication skills, an interest in technology, and a desire to learn about the structured processes that drive software creation, this internship offers a valuable opportunity to gain hands-on experience in managing complex technical projects. **Requirements** - Strong organizational and time-management skills. - Excellent written and verbal communication abilities. - Basic understanding of project management principles and methodologies. - Familiarity with different Software Development Lifecycles (SDLCs) such as Agile, Waterfall, etc. - Interest in learning about project planning tools and techniques. - Ability to work collaboratively within a team environment. - Proactive attitude and a willingness to learn about the software development process. - Proficiency in basic office software (e.g., Google Workspace, Microsoft Office Suite). - Any prior exposure to software development concepts is a plus. Quality Assurance (QA) and Testing ** Become a crucial part of our engineering process as a QA and Testing Intern. You'll contribute to ensuring the quality and reliability of our software and applications through meticulous manual **and automated** testing and analysis. If you possess a sharp eye for detail, enjoy identifying and resolving issues, and are passionate about delivering high-quality products, this internship offers a fantastic opportunity to gain hands-on experience in the world of software quality assurance. **Requirements** - Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a keen attention to detail. - Basic understanding of software testing principles and methodologies, **including automated testing concepts**. - Familiarity with different types of testing (e.g., functional, usability, regression), **and an interest in learning about test automation**. - Ability to clearly document and communicate test results and identified defects. - **Exposure to or a willingness to learn automation tools and frameworks.** - Experience with bug tracking tools (e.g., Jira, Bugzilla) is a plus. - A proactive approach and a desire to learn and contribute to a quality-focused team. Business Operations ** Join our Business team as a Business Operations Intern, where you'll gain valuable experience in HR operations, account executive operations, marketing, social media, and more. This role is perfect for individuals with excellent interpersonal skills, a passion for people management, and a desire to learn about HR, marketing and sales practices in a dynamic environment. **Requirements** - Strong interpersonal and communication skills. - Basic understanding of HR or Sales or Marketing principles and practices. - Excellent organizational and time-management abilities. - Proficiency in Google Office Suite (or Microsoft). - Prior experience or coursework in HR is beneficial. Click Here to Apply for Summer Internship 2025## Wait, there's more! ### Do your Final Year Project/Thesis with us Grayhat has built strong ties with academia for the past two years. We've collaborated with: - GIKI (Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology) - Swabi - FAST National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences - Islamabad - NUST (National University of Science and Technology) - Islamabad - MAJU - Karachi - NEDUET - Karachi - Beaconhouse National University - Lahore With students and faculty from the above universities, we've supervised multiple Final Year Projects to fruition, out of which 80%+ receive an A grade (or better). This year, we plan to engage **Final Year students **from **all universities across the world, **and also plan to onboard **MS Thesis **students with our program. So if you're an undergraduate or postgrad student looking to spend your year building something impactful, fill out the form below. Click Here to Apply for FYP/MS Thesis Supervision## Previous Final Year Projects ### 2024-2025 (latest) ### Babelfish ** As part of our continued movement to push the boundaries of human communication, Grayhat supervised ****Babelfish, ****a real-time voice translation engine, in a collaboration with BIOMISA. *****BIOMISA *******is a lab at College of EME, NUST leading the research in BioMedical Image and Signal Analysis. It's led by *******Dr. Usman Akram *******who is one of the youngest PhDs of Pakistan, working in AI in healthcare. ** ActorDB ** After struggling with introducing Omni to professional video editors, we found it necessary to build an open-source video-indexing engine which could later be ported to Adobe Premiere Pro. WorkStack ** Grayhat self-hosts most of its digital infrastructure, on its on-premises server systems. To make work smoother, we have a "stack" of tools we use. This project aimed to make that stack more deeply integrated with one another. Deepfake Detection Dashboard ** Where we build deepfakes (for good), we also needed a protection and tagging verification for our generations. ### 2023-2024 DubLingo ** We rebuilt our original dubbing engine for Urdu, in our collaboration with UrduX. *****UrduX *******is a lab at FAST NUCES leading the research in Natural Language Processing. It's led by *******Dr. Mehreen Alam******* who is a dedicated researcher and a proud Pakistani who wants to push the boundaries of AI in Pakistan. She is truly aiming for academic and industry collaboration. ** Learn more: LinkedIn post ### 2022-2023 Dublr ** Our original pipeline was rebuilt with more modern components, in collaboration with students from GIKI, Topi, Swabi. ## FAQs What do we look for? ** Above all, we look for individuals who are willing to commit to learning and growth. It can get rough, but you come out polished. Will the internship be paid? ** Yes, internships at Grayhat are paid. What is the duration of this internship? ** 2 months. What is the selection process? ** We receive all applications directly through our website and review each by hand. Our recruiting team will reach out to further discuss application materials if we find a relevant match in skillset and experience. How long until I'll get a response? ** It usually takes a week or 2. Where is Grayhat located? ** https://g.co/kgs/qdGj2mZ Is the FYP/Thesis program paid? ** Depends. Grayhat has a policy of hiring part-time people only from their FYP/Thesis groups. How does supervision work? Is it done entirely by the Grayhat team, or in collaboration with our university supervisor? ** Your academic supervisor is your primary supervisor. They will guide you in terms of: - - Timelines with the university - How to conduct academic research - They will review your academic submissions - Q/A and technical details/guidance on deliverables A Grayhat representative would be your secondary supervisor. They will guide you in terms of: - - Conducting product market research - Properly structuring your team - Running the SDLC (or equivalent) - Product mindset - Drive to deploy to market Note that neither of them are project managers. We don't manage projects, we just enable students to be the best they can be. It is up to them to learn the professionalism and delivery. We allow them access into our networks so they can interact with academia across Pakistan, our engineers and our designers. Do we need formal approval or permission from our faculty to do the FYP with you? ** Yes. But first fill out the form, let's talk, and we can figure out the details with your university afterwards. Further Queries? ** You can contact us at talal.ahmed.khan@grayhat.studio. He's our DevRel, so if you have any queries related to Grayhat, he's got the answer! ### [I feel blue - Unveiling Culture Fit; An Immortal Myth of Recruitment](https://grayhat-company-blog.grayhatstudio.workers.dev/blog/i-feel-blue-unveiling-culture-fit-an-immortal-myth-of-recruitment) - Slug: `i-feel-blue-unveiling-culture-fit-an-immortal-myth-of-recruitment` - Published: 2023-09-15T16:29:00.000+05:00 - Updated: 2025-04-29T00:21:29.000+05:00 - Reading time: 3 min - Tags: Recruitment, Culture Add, Company Culture, Recruitment Strategies, Cultura - Authors: Anonymous - Visibility: public We often find ourselves widening the gyre of recruitment practices in pursuit of filling teams with the *right fit* – hitting all the right notes of skill set, personality, and value. The quest to find *the right fit* to help us grow might as well get us on the path to make-believe land. Apologies for stumping on your bubble there, but as you run towards your familiar rock, you inadvertently overlook the diamond hidden in your path. Culturally-fit hiring strategies have set their roots deep in IT recruitment. It has become a norm to hire individuals matching closely to set organizational values and the JD. It's an unconscious inclination towards structuring the process in ways it benefits the organization *currently*. For a *current* project. To fill *current* needs. Seems like a big win at the moment - and it is! You just achieved culture-fit! But how much value does it add value in the long run? Recruiters go to great lengths to find the right candidate and end up with a conformed team of like-minded – culturally fit individuals. Sounds great, no? But does all the glitter make it gold? *Yes* – would be the easiest deduction. As a recruiter and having been on the sinking boat to hire the right fit, I have hired some exemplary candidates who fit the role and resonated with current culture but alas! I had to face turnover as early as after 2 days of joining (amongst others who stuck around for half a year… or a week). A reflection was in order. A restructuring of the seemingly right process became inevitable. So, who do we really blame here, the recruiter, candidate, or culture? Perhaps leave it to the Gods of fate. Unfortunately, besides being a short-term approach, finding the right people to hire is time consuming and has several downsides! Sometimes, we focus too much on technical skills that the idea of how a person can make the team better is sidelined. There’s a psychological tug-of-war in industry to achieve the *right fit* when all we strive for is to be different – perhaps a *right add *might change the narrative? Make way for the star of this article *culture add* here. We are talking about adding a pop of fuchsia to a canvas of whites. While it may not be everyone's cup of tea, it undeniably commands attention. Similarly, embracing a new perspective, veering away from the conventional, and introducing a challenging feat to the team can kickstart innovation, liberate you from a similarity rut, and broaden your visionary horizons. As Mahatma Gandhi said and I quote, “No culture can live, if it attempts to be exclusive.”. Culture add advocates for diversifying teams with individuals who bring forth a fresh perspective to help the team grow rather than just expand the team who dress, talk, behave, and perform the same. A study conducted by McKinsey & Company highlights the tangible financial benefits associated with top-team diversity. Additionally, research published by The Association for Psychological Science underscores that empirical evidence strongly supports the notion that diversity, encompassing differences in ethnicity, culture, gender, and more, yields substantial advantages for organizations. In a world where everyone races towards a novel future, sometimes the answers lie in the past. Learning from the historical concept of *Seidenstrassen* or Silk Roads; a metaphor of European and Asian cultural interchange, we luminate the pathways not paved with silk and spices, but differences in ideas, perspectives, skills, and traits. The concept of *culture add* or the *right add, *as I have advocated throughout, challenges the traditional notion of recruiting individuals who seamlessly fit into an organization's existing culture. This approach actively encourages the inclusion of culturally diverse individuals within the organization. Ideally, the culture add approach encompasses both cognitive and visible diversity. For instance, from a cognitive standpoint, it might involve hiring an impulsive decision maker into a predominantly calculated team – and vice versa. On a visible level, it could mean adding a female member to a male-dominated group. Building on this, while hiring for IT teams, one can keep an eye out for emerging talent, potential, and disqualify bias based on current skill sets. With the industry growing in all possible directions, hiring for the future is key to thriving in cut-throat competition. Let's ask ourselves, how can this different tech-stack change the dynamics? How might diversifying the skill sets within a team influence the development of creative solutions and products? Will adding this individual with an itch for unconventional into a team of conventional coders stir up innovation? However, this approach doesn’t require an extreme shift from your existing culture. But should definitely inspire a process away from fitting candidates into carefully curated boxes to seamlessly fit-in; and towards an addition to make you think differently, expand your point of view, and invigorate growth in different directions. From hiring with a tunnel vision of stale homogeneity, to striving for dynamic diversity. And that’s where hiring for growth instead of mere expansion begins. Let’s expand more on the topic in the articles in sequel to this one. Share your thoughts, and stay tuned to dive in more detail with us! **Author: **Fatima Majid