What does cultural fit mean?
It's about beliefs and behaviors, and the employee should be aligned with the employer. Company culture and values should always be similar to those of the people who get hired.
Employers simply shouldn’t take a chance on someone who won't be able to cooperate with the current team. If there's not a willingness to accept common goals or the company's mission, the decision to hire such a candidate will turn out to be very damaging.
While it's possible to teach people how to do a job, getting them to love the way your team operates is another story. A new colleague can be a disaster for the rest of the team – and its productivity, warns an article on the businessnewsdaily.com website.
How can companies find a fit?
So when you describe a vacancy, emphasize some of the qualities you need in a new colleague. Perhaps you need an innovative, entrepreneurial or customer-centric person.
Try to reflect your company culture as strongly you can. Also, anyone who takes part in the interviews needs to be well aware of what you company's culture is like – or wants to be like.
Walk your candidate around the office and set up a meeting with key team members. Then ask what the candidate was thinking as he or she observed real work at the office.
If the answer is rather specific, it's a good sign. Also the candidate's previous experience can indicate what they care about.
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