Recruitment and Cultural Fit

A business is only as good as it’s workers. And hiring the right people can be expensive.

That’s why it’s so important to get your recruitment process right.

Many businesses have shifted their approach to hiring in recent years to focus on finding the right cultural fit.

Having a team full of people that share your vision can revitalise any team. But not following a proper interview structure can lead to reduced productivity, hiring mistakes and even costly discrimination claims.

In this guide, we explain what a cultural fit is and it’s benefits, the risks of getting it wrong and interview questions to help you avoid mistakes.

What is cultural fit?

Cultural fit means finding workers who match your company culture.

Candidates don’t need to be a perfect fit at the interview stage but you should be confident that they will be able to adapt to the core values of your business.

Hiring a good culture fit ensures your team works well together and can help to foster a positive attitude in the workplace.

The benefits of hiring for cultural fit

In most cases, hiring someone based on company fit won’t be the only thing you take into account. But when it comes down to two candidates who are similar on paper, assessing how they match your company values is a good way to find the better fit.

There are many benefits to hiring for cultural fit, including:

• Improved employee engagement.
• Increased Staff retention.
• Collaboration.
• Better Communication.

As members of your team work in the same way and have similar values, they will be able to work better together and be happier in their role.

Why should employers be concerned with cultural fit?

Despite all of the benefits, there are pitfalls to avoid when hiring for cultural fit.

When taking too narrow a view, you workers can be too similar. This improves their confidence but can reduce creative problem solving.

And more seriously, efforts to find a good fit could be seen as discriminatory, if not implemented correctly.

This happens when attempts to hire those that will match your company’s values slips into just hiring people who act and think alike — sacrificing diversity.

You can avoid this by following a well-defined interview structure. Ensure you focus on the individual’s values and how they relate to your company’s goals.

How to Assess Cultural Fit

Start benefiting from a value fit by introducing a culture section to your interview or application.

This will standardise the way you measure a cultural fit test and avoid unconscious bias.

Add set interview questions to assess cultural fit into your review process for every role to prevent bias.

Cultural Fit Interview Questions

Here are some of the best interview questions for cultural fit:

• What type of work environment are you most productive in?
• Do you prefer working alone or as part of a team?
• What attracted you to this role?
• What does your ideal work day look like?
• Give an example of a time you put forward a new idea at work. What was the response to your idea and how did you respond?
• Tell me about the most stressful situation you faced at work. What happened and how did you handle it?

Value-based interview questions should be open-ended. The aim of them is to find out how the candidate works best and whether their values align with the business’s.

You will need to be clear on what your company values are before you can assess how well potential hires meet them. But spending time to get a clear picture of how they will fit into your organisational culture can save you from any surprises on their first day.

Get help with company culture today with BrightHR

Defining your company culture allows you to build a better, more engaged team using cultural fit assessments.

But it’s easy to make mistakes if you don’t follow the correct process. And those mistakes could cost you more than the issues you were originally trying to fix.

When it comes time to hire a new team member or define your culture, BrightAdvice can help to make sure you don’t make any mistakes.

BrightAdvice gives you a direct line to qualified legal experts, designed with smaller businesses in mind, to answer your HR problems Book in a free demo today to see just how easy it is to get the answers you need. Give us a call on 0800 783 2806.