Cultural fit has gained increased prominence among hiring managers recently. An assessment of the cultural fit allows a recruiter to go beneath the surface of a candidate’s skills, qualifications, and relevant experience to determine whether the candidate’s “on-the-job” behavior is consistent with the values and expectations of the organization.
Unfortunately, many recruiters in the Middle East and North Africa region fail to give cultural fit its due importance and hire based solely on the candidate’s qualifications and skills.
As a hiring manager, you want to hire the job applicant who, in addition to the required skills and qualifications, exhibits the best fit within your organization’s culture. One way to do that would be to use the most important tool you have at hand: the job interview.
A job interview is an opportunity to assess whether candidates have the right skills, qualifications and experience needed to fill the job opening. Interviews are also your tool to assess whether candidates will be able to fit in and contribute to the work culture.
The purpose of the majority of interview questions asked during a job interview is to assess a candidate's cultural fit. How the candidate answers the questions is a deciding factor in employee selection. In a behavioral interview, how a candidate approached a variety of work situations in the past tells you whether the candidate's behavior matches your organization.
In most cases, employers assess cultural fit via a series of behavioral questions. While the questions depend on each organization’s unique culture, the following interview questions represent a general framework for any organization to assess cultural fit:
- Describe the work environment or culture in which you are most productive and happy.
- What are the characteristics exhibited by the best boss you have ever had, or wished that you have had?
- Describe what you believe are the most effective roles that a good manager plays in his or her relationship with reporting staff members.
- Do you have a best friend at work? How do you feel about becoming friends with your coworkers?
- What is the single most important factor that must be present in your work environment for you to be happily employed?
- What is your preferred work style? Do you prefer working alone or as part of a team?
- When you work with a team, describe the role that you are most likely to play on the team.
- Provide an example of a time when you went out of your way and jumped through hoops to delight a customer.
- Tell us about a decision you made that was based primarily on customer needs and input.
Other methods that help assess a candidate’s cultural fit are scenario role-plays or presentation demonstrations. Trial periods, or even an invitation to a team dinner or brainstorming session, are also good strategies to assess cultural fit.
In conducting interviews with prospective employees, the cultural fit assessment is critical. It is important that companies schedule a cultural fit interview in addition to, and often before, the more traditional interviews to assess skills, experience, and potential contribution. A candidate who fits into your organization’s culture is likely to be more effective and create more value.
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