How to Determine If a Candidate is a Good Culture Fit

At Equis Staffing, we understand the importance of the right staffing fit. Hiring the wrong employee means wasted time, money, and resources. Determining if a job candidate is a fit for your company’s culture is a vital part of the hiring process, but it can also be a challenge. Your interview process should focus on more than just the candidate’s technical qualifications – you should also consider personality and team fit.

It’s not unusual for hiring managers to feel overwhelmed when deciding on which candidate to bring into the organization. Here are our tips for determining if a candidate is a match for your company’s culture:

Know your company culture.
Before you begin evaluating candidates for cultural fit, you need to understand the details of your company’s culture and style. One simple way to think about your company culture is to think about what types of people typically succeed at your organization. Who are your top performers? Why do they do so well in your organization? Additionally, you should also consider the company’s mission statement and the values under which the organization operates.

Involve team members in the interview process.
Don’t limit the interview process to just one interviewer. There are many different factors that influence a company culture, so getting along with the interviewer does not necessarily mean the candidate is the right fit. It’s important that the candidate meets with multiple members of your team to determine if their personality is a match for the organization. Remember to give the candidate a moment to “warm up” in a new situation.

Compare the candidate to successful employees.
While it’s important to treat every candidate as an individual, it can also be useful to compare their skills, personality, and values to successful employees within your organization. How did these employees fit into your organization? What does the candidate have in common with these employees?

Pay attention to how the candidate answers questions.
How does the candidate respond to your questions? Are they open, honest, and friendly? Are they knowledgeable? You should also ask candidates questions that are outside the scope of the job or the company – for example, ask them about their hobbies, favorite foods, or their favorite films. Candidates will likely have prepared responses for more common job interview questions, but these types of questions are better suited to help you get a sense of the candidate’s personality as well as how they react to unexpected situations.

Ask the candidate what they know about your culture.
What does the candidate know about your company and its current culture? Have they done research into the organization? You can also ask if the candidate has any concerns about your company culture based on the research they did before the interview. Is this an environment in which they can succeed? Do they share the same business values? It shows initiative when a candidate is aware of your culture before they interview.

Ask about the candidate’s goals and passions.
What does the candidate really care about? Do their professional goals mesh with the goals of the company? You probably already know about the passions of your current employees – do these match with the candidate’s? You should be able to determine whether the candidate’s professional passion fits with your company’s mission.

What steps does your organization take to determine culture fit? Share with us in the comments.