We’ve all heard horror stories of people quitting their jobs after a few days simply because they didn’t fit the office ‘culture’. The importance of cultural fit in a company is no longer overlooked by employers, with a plethora of articles, blogs, and posts describing its benefits (us included!), it’s safe to say cultural fit is on a recruiter’s wishlist for new hires.

Although, being able to determine whether a candidate will be a strong cultural fit is a skill, and you need to know what to look for to ensure your next hire doesn’t hand in their notice after the first week. Here are some tips to find the perfect fit:

1. Define Company Culture and Core Values

To know how a candidate will fit in, you first need to know the ins and outs of your own culture! Consider some of the following areas of your company to figure out what makes it unique:

• Values: Identify core values that represent your organisation. These might include teamwork, innovation, sustainability, or respect.
• Communication style: Do you have a formal work environment, or is it relaxed and open? This helps determine the type of candidate who would feel comfortable and productive.
• Team dynamics: Are teams collaborative, or do employees work more independently? Understanding these dynamics can help you find candidates who thrive in such environments.

Consider sharing these values on your website, job descriptions, and social media posts so candidates know what to expect from your company. Cultural fit is a two-way street after all, and it can help save time for the employer and candidate.

2. Use Behavioural Interview Questions

Behavioural questions during your interview process can help you get insights on how the candidate operates in real work situations, which can reveal a lot about their cultural fit. Instead of asking about skills directly, these questions focus on past experience to gauge compatibility. Some examples include:

• “Describe a time you disagreed with a colleague. How did you handle it?”
• “Tell me about a project where you had to collaborate with a diverse team. How did you ensure success?”
• “What would you do if you disagreed with a company policy?”

These questions highlight how a candidate responds to realistic situations in a workplace. Ideally, their answers should align with your company’s values and communication style

3. Assess Curiosity and Adaptability

Regarding behavioural traits to look out for more specifically, curiosity and adaptability are traits that often signal a great cultural fit. Candidates who ask insightful questions and express genuine interest in learning about your company are often open-minded and eager to contribute. This willingness to adapt is a great indicator of long-term cultural compatibility.

4. Evaluate “Cultural Add” Instead of Just “Cultural Fit”

Whilst finding a cultural fit is important, it’s not the only way for finding a perfect fit hire. You can also find a cultural addition. Someone who aligns with the company values and communication but also brings new ideas, experiences, and perspectives to the table! This will grow your team in new and dynamic ways.

An example of this could be if your team is full of analytical thinkers, hiring a creative problem-solver could bring a new dimension to your team’s approach. 

5. Observe Interactions During the Interview Process

An interview isn’t just about answering questions. Observing how candidates interact with the hiring team can reveal important clues about their potential fit:

• Do they listen actively? Candidates who actively listen and ask clarifying questions tend to be more collaborative and respectful of team dynamics.
• Are they personable and approachable? These qualities often signal that a candidate can build strong relationships within the team.
• Do they align with the energy of your workplace? If your office is laid-back and casual, a highly formal candidate might feel out of place, and vice versa.

It can also be a good idea to invite the candidate to meet a few team members informally as part of the interview. Observing how they interact in a less structured setting can give you a sense of their interpersonal skills and how they will get on with current employees.

6. Get Feedback from Current Employees

Something that can be overlooked, but is also a very obvious way to determine cultural fit is to ask your current employees their opinion of the candidate. This goes hand in hand with Tip 5 as the candidate will have interacted with a few current employees, and they will be able to tell you if they think they will gel with the potential hire or not.

7. Conduct Exit Interviews

Exit interviews can be a great way to not only uncover various aspects of your business, but to also assess what employees did, or didn’t like about the company culture. Furthermore, because they are leaving the workplace, they are likely to be more honest with you than if you conducted a survey on current employees.

Final Thoughts

Spotting a great cultural fit is about looking beyond hard skills and experience on paper to understand how a candidate will thrive in a workplace. There’s no simple formula or industry standard for this as it varies massively from company to company. But remember to engage in authentic conversations, and to bear in mind that culture isn’t about having 10 team members that are all incredibly similar, it’s about building a diverse team where everyone brings unique ideas and skills to the table whilst working cohesively.

At Paragon Recruitment, we are experts in both recruitment and HR, and know how to spot a candidate who will fit a team. If you’re looking for help in recruitment and aligning company culture, reach out to us today and let us help you find the right fit!