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Assessing Cultural Fit

At ITAC, we understand the importance of cultural fit. In fact, our mission is to improve lives by connecting the right candidates with the right client companies. Cultural fit is the ability of an employee to comfortably work in an environment that is compatible with his/her own beliefs, values and needs. A quality cultural fit results in a happy, productive employee.

Culture clash, on the other hand, is a common reason new hires don’t pan out and employee turnover is high. To increase retention, enhance employee performance and improve your organizational culture, it’s essential to consider cultural fit when making hiring decisions.

Here are 3 tips to assess cultural fit:
  1. Ensure that every person involved in the interview process shares the same understanding of your company’s core values. If your interviewing/hiring team isn’t on the same page, it can result in differing thoughts about which candidates fit in and whether they should be invited to join the team.
  1. Develop interview questions that solicit candidates’ perspectives on your company values. Asking open-ended questions that begin with “Tell me about a time” or “When ‘x’ happened, what was your response?” will help reveal a candidate’s behaviors and thoughts.
  1. Inquire about candidates’ past work environments to learn about their preferences and work style. Ask questions like, “What type of work environment are you most successful?” and “What are the most positive aspects of your previous work environment?” Their responses will help determine if the they would function well in your company’s environment.

Ultimately, cultural fit is an intangible aspect that job-matching and search algorithms cannot determine. It is a result of building a relationship with a candidate to determine the unique traits that make him/her a great fit for your company.