Louisa Petkov, Senior Talent Acquisition Manager at VTS, answers this question.
This interview with Louisa Petkov provides a fantastic deep dive into what makes the VTS culture tick. To optimize this post for readability, I’ve used clear headers, bolded the core values, and integrated the target keyword into the sections regarding our mission and customer-facing teams.
What is the Culture Like at VTS?
Insights from Louisa Petkov, Senior Talent Acquisition Manager
Usually, at the end of every interview, the tables turn and interviewers ask, “Do you have any questions for me?” One of the most common questions is, “How would you describe the culture at the company?” Culture can be difficult to describe because it is intangible and multifaceted. I break it down into three parts to give candidates a clear picture of life at VTS.
1. Our Foundations: Company Values & Mindset
A company’s culture should be anchored in its values. At VTS, our values are our heart, and our Mindset (Action, Boldness, Resilience, Teamwork) is how we get things done.
Our Core Values:
- Strive for Excellence
- Appreciate the Difference
- Move as One
- Take Ownership
- Be Curious
- Be Customer Obsessed
We also have our VTS Mindset.Action. Boldness. Resilience. Teamwork.
If our values are our heart, our mindset is how we get things done.
2. Living These Values in Practice
We don't just state our values; we stand by them through specific policies and rituals, including a dedicated Values Interview and our Values Award, which provides winners with an extra $1,000 for their Learning and Development stipend.
Appreciate the Difference
We thrive on unique perspectives. We are active in our commitment to DE&I through partnerships with over 15 diversity groups. We also maintain 7 active Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and assign every new hire a "VTS Buddy" outside of their department.
Move as One
Collaboration is essential. We operate as one team with shared mission-driven OKRs. Many of our projects are cross-departmental, and our product and engineering teams utilize an agile development model to remain people-centric.
Take Ownership
You are a trusted member from day one. To make growth paths clear, many departments use a Career Ladder to define expected competencies. This removes ambiguity and helps you understand the next steps in your professional development.
Be Curious
Curiosity fuels our growth. We provide Learning and Development stipends for personal and professional interests and maintain an internal VTS Academy for continuous product and process training.
Be Customer Obsessed
We revolve our strategic decisions around customer outcomes. For our sales and engineering teams, this means utilizing the latest commercial real estate lease management software capabilities to identify the exact truths our customers need to succeed. We focus on outcomes, not just features.
Strive for Excellence
We iterate and innovate daily. Hear from our leadership on how we deliver excellence:
- Sean Weinhouse (Customer Success): "We do our best to fail fast and course correct through better processes."
- Ryan Sprouls (Client Success): "We become a part of the client’s business to understand their pain points."
- Jasprit Gupta (Support): "We help property teams activate their spaces and engage tenants with real-time insights."
- Eric Doran (Sales): "We anchor everything in data to be experts in the implementation of solutions."
3. Supporting Our People
We constantly look for new ways to support our team members. In 2022, we introduced a phased return-to-work program, allowing primary caregivers to work 60% of their week at 100% pay for the first four weeks following parental leave.
We also amplify our employee voices on platforms like our LinkedIn Life page and InHersight.
Learn More About Life at VTS
The best way to learn about our culture is to hear directly from our people. We invite you to explore our various channels:
- VTS Blog: Check out our #WeAreVTS series
- LinkedIn Life Page: Peruse our "Who We Are" page
We are proud of our people and want to recognize all that they do. Will we see you here next? :)
