I accidentally started a cult

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Hi! I’m Peter, CEO of Kickresume, and these career-related stories caught my attention this month — and might catch yours too.

I'm a big fan of hiring for cultural fit. Sometimes, it’s even the main reason we hire someone. Because at the end of the day, you can teach someone skills, but you can’t teach them how to be... you know, a person.

And for the most part, I thought this was a pretty solid approach. That is, until I came across this article about corporate cults (yes, apparently that’s a thing).

Turns out, one of the hallmarks of a corporate cult is the way management screens employees for their “fit” during recruitment. Which, honestly, freaked me out a bit—because it sounded uncomfortably familiar.

Now I can’t stop wondering... are we accidentally running a corporate cult?

Naturally, I spiraled into a mild paranoia. So, I did some digging to make sure Kickresume isn’t about to end up in some Netflix documentary. 

And what I found was kind of hilarious, slightly terrifying, and definitely worth sharing.

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Work hard, chant harder

Apparently, someone out there noticed how similar certain companies are to actual cults and decided to slap a term on it. I love it.

And honestly, once you start looking, it’s hard to unsee.

So, what makes a corporate cult? It’s all about control—how much power management has over the way employees think and act.

It starts with hiring, where they make sure you “fit.” Then, once you’re in, everything—training, rewards, promotions or even terminations—is designed to keep everyone on the same page or “aligned.” 

Sometimes these companies position the workplace as your family, blurring the lines between work and personal life. You know, the classic, “We’re not just coworkers; we’re family here!” (Sounds familiar?). This makes it easier for companies to push employees to give more—because who wants to let their “family” down?

Other things that make a company feel like a cult? Glad you asked:

• Weird rituals. Think company chants, songs about the CEO (oh yes, I’ll get to that), or chanting “W-A-L-M-A-R-T!” everyday before work.

• Special language. Corporate cults typically create their own terminology to reinforce the sense of belonging.

• CEO worship. The boss isn’t just in charge—they’re a visionary genius, a guru, a living legend. 

• Uniformity. Everyone looks the same—whether it’s matching T-shirts, strict dress codes, or company merch everywhere you turn. (Sometimes, it’s literally just copying whatever the CEO wears.)

Sounds too weird to be real? Well, buckle up, because some of the biggest companies out there have leaned into cult-y vibes a little too hard.

In Disney, for example, employees are called “cast members”, customers are “guests” and, when inside the park, you are “on stage.” Kinda creepy, if you ask me.

Then there’s IBM which used to have a book of songs commissioned by, dedicated to, and almost deifying its legendary first CEO Thomas Watson Sr. Yes, the songbook exists—you can read it here.

A former employee at Enron noted that the first thing he noticed when he started the job, is that the traders were wearing the same exact blue shirt. (What in the cult is going on?)

And just when you think it couldn’t get weirder, Zappos steps in. Their late CEO Tony Hsieh founded a “community” (for lack of a better word) in Las Vegas called the Downtown Project, where Zappos employees lived and worked together. You can read about their unhinged experience here. 

Finally, here’s a story that sums it all up. A writer for the Harvard Business Review attended a weekly “get-together” at a major U.S. tech company. This is his account:

Feeling suspicious about your workplace yet?

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Are you in a corporate cult?

By now, you (and me) are probably wondering if your (or my) company is skating dangerously close to cult territory. 

Well, good news—I’ve found a quick questionnaire to help us figure it out.

Just answer “yes” or “no” to the following questions. Don’t overthink it. If it feels weird, it probably is.

1. Does your company have mandatory chants, cheers, or songs? (Bonus points if they involve the CEO’s name.)

2. Are employees called something other than “employees”? Like “geniuses”, “team warriors,” or “vision keepers”?

3. Is there a “company look” everyone seems to follow—matching outfits, merch, or a weird obsession with dressing like the CEO?

4. Has your boss ever been referred to as a “guru,” “visionary,” or “spiritual leader” with a straight face?

5. Are you frequently told, “We’re not just coworkers; we’re family”?

If you’ve answered “Yes” to one or more questions–bad news. 

“We’re not a cult” (Said every cult leader ever. But I’m still saying it)

Okay, let’s address the questions on everyone’s (or probably mostly my) mind: 

• How do you know it’s just culture, not a cult? 

• And more importantly, is Kickresume a corporate cult? 

As for the second question—obviously not. At least, I’m pretty sure it’s not. 

For one, no one here dresses like me (though we do have a company merch with Arnold Schwarzenegger on it that everyone mysteriously loves wearing), and I don’t think anyone’s singing songs about me (if they are, please stop).

When we hand out the employee of the month award—which has happened exactly twice in three years—instead of a thunderous applause, the lucky winner receives a trophy which says “We don’t mind you”. 

And don’t worry—they’re not offended. We made sure they wouldn’t be when we hired them, thanks to our impeccable cultural fit screening.

Which brings me back to the first question—how do you know it’s just culture and not a cult? 

Well, a lot of companies have some quirky features about their culture. Ours included. But I think what distinguishes a regular (though maybe a little cringey) company from a corporate cult is the ability to laugh at itself.

Cults can’t joke about themselves. They’re so ridiculous that if they started, they’d unravel completely.

So, if your job is starting to feel a little too... culty, try to joke about it with your colleagues. And if it doesn’t land, at least you know it’s time to run for the hills—or at least update your resume.

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Random piece of career advice

Is a cover letter necessary going into 2025? The answer is yes, but not always.

Here are some situations when you absolutely NEED a cover letter:

• When the job opening requires a cover letter

• You’re particularly interested in a role

• There’s a gap in your resume 

• Someone referred you to the position

• If you're a first time job seeker or changing careers.

As helpful as a cover letter can be there are a few exceptions when it's not necessary and you can skip it.

This is when you DON'T NEED to attach a cover letter:

• The job opening explicitly says it doesn’t require one

• There’s a list of required documents (and a CL isn’t one of them)

• There's no place to upload one on the application platform

• You don’t have the time to customize your cover letters  

Ultimately, while a cover letter is most of the time a valuable tool, knowing when it's necessary—and when it's not—can help you focus your efforts where they matter most.

And if you found that you will be needing a cover letter and you’re not sure how to write one, here’s the only cover letter guide you’ll ever need. 

I hope you didn't think I'd forget! 

As a token of appreciation for your excellent scrolling skills, here’s a 20% discount code for Kickresume Premium. 

Catch you later! 

Peter