How to Hire for Successful Cultural Fit

Back in the ‘old days’, we would hire the most skilled people. As much as we wanted employees to get on, the priority was the level of qualifications and skills a candidate could contribute. Today, the recruiting mantra has become ‘hire for culture fit, train for skills’.

There is logic to this approach. You can teach a candidate all they need to know for a specific position, creating a job opportunity that promotes growth. But you can’t teach culture fit nor can you expect people to change their values and beliefs to match yours.?

Hiring for cultural fit increases the chances of a successful hire and maximises the prospect that the candidate will be able to thrive in the working environment. On the other hand, a bad cultural fit can be like one rotten apple in the basket—it spreads. This is as true on the Islands as it is anywhere. Here are 7 steps to ensure your next hire is the perfect cultural fit…?

#1. Don’t confuse cultural fit with homogeneity

Cultural fit is not about hiring clones of yourself. Within your team, you should encourage people of all ages, genders, ethnicity and backgrounds. The more diverse your team, the better they will be at coming up with innovative ideas to solve problems. Remember, it’s okay for a candidate to have different values but they need to be able to work in an environment where everyone else’s values are also respected.

#2. Document your company values

Whether you are a startup or a well-established business, the beginning point is understanding what your true company values are. Aside from values and beliefs, this will include your philosophies, principles, motivation and your vision.

Don’t just rely on your opinions. Ask your employees how they view your values and cultural fit. Once clearly defined, document them and make sure that each employee is given a copy so they are fully aware.?

#3. Share your company's culture

Both your website and social media pages should properly represent your organisation’s culture.

It’s not enough to simply upload your original document. Candidates want to see it in action so include photos and videos that reflect your company values. Displaying company culture isn’t a one-off action, it should be integrated into daily working life. With this in mind, be sure to update your sites with regular examples of your firm’s culture so others (including potential future applicants) can learn more about you.?

#4. Include cultural indicators in job descriptions?

This provides a prospective candidate the chance to see if they are going to be the right fit for the position from the outset. It is better to consider this up-front rather than later on in the process time.

It also gives you a chance to see how important culture is for the candidate. If they haven’t bothered to even read or watch a video about your company values, is this the right person to join your tea,? You might even want to ask them to incorporate how their values are in line with yours as part of the application process. To do this, you’ll need to have provided them with this cultural insight.?

#5. Ask questions that uncover more about candidates’ values

Again, be very careful on the types of questions you ask as you cannot discriminate in any way. So, you can’t ask about religious beliefs. However, questions you could ask might include:

·??????What values in an employer are most important to you?

·??????How do your values match our company values?

·??????If you could have any role within a company, what role would you choose and why?

·??????What type of working environment do you thrive in?

·??????Can you give me an example of how you have reinforced one of our company values?

It’s not only the verbal responses that will indicate whether the candidate is a good cultural fit. Read their body language too; this can tell you more about their confidence and comfort.

#6. Include guidance in the onboarding process

Just because a candidate has been hired doesn’t mean they magically understand everything and that your company culture fit doesn’t need to be explained and reinforced.

In the candidate’s first few days, set aside some time to provide opportunities where your organisational culture can be experienced more clearly – for example, an informal breakfast meeting, where you can see how the candidate interacts with others. Ask them if they have any concerns about values or have any opinions they’d like to share.

#7. Schedule a follow-up meeting

Normally, it takes several weeks for a candidate to settle into a new role. It’s a good idea to schedule a meeting around the one-month mark. During this meeting, you can not only talk over how they are enjoying the experience of being at your company but it’s a fresh opportunity to revisit expectations, provide feedback, praise, and help the new hire set goals.

If you want a job on the Islands, visit our?jobs portal?to see the latest vacancies.

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