How to Find the Candidates That Fit Your Culture Best? - 11 Important Questions to Ask
Reading time 5min
When looking for the right candidates for your company, soft skills naturally play a decisive role alongside hard skills.
Soft skills can be measured on the basis of many variables and provide conclusions about a person's cultural fit, i.e. how well the applicant fits into your corporate environment. It is considered a driver of professional performance and should not be underestimated by recruiters.
Let's delve into what exactly is meant by culture fit (sometimes also called cultural fit) and why it is of enormous importance for your company to pay attention to when recruiting adaptable candidates during the application process. In addition, we offer a **guide that you can use to measure the fit between candidates and your company.
What Is Culture Fit?
Cultural fit means that there is a cultural match between a company and the applicant. This means that applicants can identify with the company's values and, as a result, they are likely to integrate well into the existing work environment. When an employee shares the same goals as the company itself, motivation increases and so does productivity.
The cultural fit definition not only includes the mere congruence of values, but also the ability to integrate into the daily work routine.
For example, a person who prefers to work in a team is not a good fit for a job that requires a lot of independence. Even personal preferences such as flexible/fixed working hours or questions about the place of work (remote or office) play a role here in ensuring a pleasant working atmosphere.
Does Cultural Fit Also Refer to Cultural Backgrounds?
If we expand the the definition of culture fit, we'll find that cultural backgrounds also come into focus. However, it should be noted that culture fit refers to the company culture and not to an applicant's country of origin.
Rather, it is about their attitude and the commitment they show in the workplace. As long as an applicant is willing to contribute to the work culture, the country plays a relatively negligible role.
How to Determine the Values for Culture Fit?
Measuring culture fit is a difficult task because recruiters must first rely on the applicant's self-report. One way to get a more detailed picture of the applicant is to use questionnaires. A cultural fit test like this can also be completed with targeted questions during the interview.
You should therefore pay attention to the following values:
1. Pace
Pace varies from company to company, and candidates must be able to adapt to that pace. Companies that are growing particularly fast need to make quick decisions and constantly adapt to new business conditions.
In contrast, stable or moderately growing companies experience far less change and the decision-making process takes more time.
During the interview, you should pay attention to whether the applicant answers questions quickly and purposefully, or approaches them more carefully and thoughtfully.
2. Structure
The way a company is structured can either be clearly defined or flexible.
Some workers feel more comfortable when their job responsibilities are described in detail and they are clear about the hierarchy within the company. Others enjoy more freedom within the company and don't need a set structure.
So ask your candidates questions about their personal preferences and what structure they feel most comfortable with.
3. Management Style
The leadership style of the supervisor determines, among other things, how long an employee will stay with a company.
If workers disagree with your supervisor's leadership style, discrepancies will occur and the company culture will be weakened. Leadership styles are usually categorized as follows:
- Authoritarian
- Patriarchal
- Bureaucratic
- Charismatic
- Cooperative
- Laissez-faire
So first, find out what leadership style applicants prefer and how much control they want. To do this, ask questions about previous jobs and the expectations of supervisors.
4. Fit
The biggest surprises in the workplace occur when new employees suddenly realize that the actual job differs greatly from their job expectations. For this reason, expectations should be spelled out as clearly as possible by the company itself, preferably with a detailed job description.
During the interview, ask candidates about tasks in previous jobs and how they mastered them to get a better picture of their skills.
5. Adaptability
Of course, it will be difficult to find candidates who are 100% in line with your company culture. Actually, this isn't the main goal, because diversity is good for teamwork.
If candidates are willing to adapt to different processes and can do so easily, they can perform at a high level and remain motivated.
What is the importance of culture fit in recruiting?
If candidates fit the company culture, their motivation increases.
Higher motivation is reflected in better performance, which in turn benefits the company. Employees can thus be retained long-term and the corporate culture is significantly improved.
In addition, companies save themselves many costs in recruiting if bad hiring decisions are prevented.
The Most Important Questions on Cultural Fit in the Job Interview
We have already touched on some of the questions that play a role when it comes to culture fit. Here we provide you with additional culture fit questions that companies can use to find out more about their candidates' values:
- What topics are you interested in on a day-to-day basis?
- How would you design your ideal work environment?
- What expectations do you have for your manager?
- How do you respond to change?
- How do you best resolve conflicts?
- What is your definition of a good employee?
- How would your co-workers describe you and how do you describe yourself?
- How should a company best motivate its employees?
- What aspects did you like most about the work environment at your previous job?
- Do you prefer to work independently or as part of a team?
- How would you describe your work style?
Good cultural fit is extremely beneficial for companies and employees alike. It strengthens the corporate culture and improves the working atmosphere. In a good working atmosphere, employees feel more motivated to perform at a high level. As a result, the company can grow faster and achieve success.
By asking the right questions during the interview, you can find out if your applicant would fit in well with your organization's culture.