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Hiring For Cultural Fit? Here's What To Look For

Hiring For Cultural Fit? Here's What To Look For
by Shannon Gausepohl

Cultural fit is a concept that can be hard to define, but everyone knows when it is missing. Imagine a company founder who believes that an open office plan and team projects promote creativity and progress, but whose employees are overwhelming introverts. Or think about the ambitious employee stuck in an organization that offers no training, tuition reimbursement or room for advancement.

At its core, cultural fit means that employees' beliefs and behaviors are in alignment with their employer's core values and company culture.

"If we learned anything from the so-called 'best practices' of the Industrial Age, we learned that we need to hire people who genuinely care about the people they work with and for and not hire those who show up to work every day just to collect a paycheck," said Mark Babbitt, founder and CEO of YouTern, a company that helps interns with their futures. "Employers simply can’t take a chance on someone who won’t mesh well with the existing team, doesn’t share common goals with their colleagues, and are not aligned with the mission of the company."

Many employers understand the importance of hiring for cultural fit, and research shows that people who fit well into their companies express greater job satisfaction, perform better and are more likely to remain with the same organization for a longer period.

"We can teach someone to do a job. We can't teach someone to love the way we operate," said Lauren Kolbe, founder of Kolbeco, a brand media agency. "An employee who is not aligned with the culture and is not committed to living it can wreak havoc pretty quickly, even if they bring a great deal of skill and experience to their craft."

Hiring the right candidates

The first step in hiring for cultural fit is to be able to articulate what values, norms and practices define your business. As a hiring consultant for small businesses, Rebecca Barnes-Hogg of YOLO Insights asks her clients to list the top three or four behaviors critical for success in their organizations. "These behaviors are their company culture translated to daily operations," Barnes-Hogg said.

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