How are people failing on culture fit when interviewing?

Interviewing for a new role can be an intimidating process that is very often associated with failure. Whenever a candidate applies for a role within a company, they will want to make sure to put themselves across in the best possible way. However, many people with the requisite skills are being turned down for roles every day. Why?

Interviewing is not just for assessing competence

An interview is a two-way dialogue between the recruiter and the candidate, intended to peel back the layers and take a deeper look at their specific skills in more detail as well as to uncover any relevant experience that the candidate has gained. Information initially supplied in an application or CV is often limited. Having the opportunity to talk about their experience and about how they approach things is essential.

It is a real opportunity for the recruiter to find more out about the candidate as a person: what makes them tick and what direction do they see themselves taking? Garnering this sort of information provides a fuller picture as to how this person might fit in with the other staff at the company and with the company’s own ethos.

What’s so important about cultural fit?

Company culture is a somewhat subjective term, meaning something slightly different to different companies. Overall, it’s about the company’s ethos and encompasses everyone and the approach that’s taken to just about everything. Because company culture is something that is different for each and every company, it makes sense that not everyone will be a great fit for every company’s culture. From the leadership style, workplace environment, values and much more, a healthy company culture can cultivate communication and innovation and spur on growth. Having everyone on the same page is the unified approach towards this goal.

This kind of environment also makes for a more contented and satisfied workforce, where retaining employees and keeping them interested is so much more likely. Furthermore, this helps to create a good reputation for the business: disgruntled ex-employees can rapidly spread their discontent in today’s social media-driven era.

Finding out about cultural fit

When interviewing candidates, recruiters will ask a number of questions to try and find out if they would be a good cultural fit within the company. One common example is ‘why do you want to work for us?’, which will help recruiters ascertain whether the candidate’s aims and ideas resonate with those of the company or not.

Another popular question area is ‘how do you deal with stressful situations?’, which is a great opportunity to find out more about the methods a candidate uses to handle the inevitable stresses that they might encounter in the workplace.

Sometimes, a candidate might be asked a question about their goals and aspirations such as ‘Where do you see yourself professionally in five years?’. Questions like this one enable the recruiter to gauge whether a candidate’s long-term plan is aligned with what the company can offer them – are they likely to be satisfied?

It is important for a candidate to do some preparation of their own in terms of cultural fit. Finding out about the workplace and its employees can inform candidates as to the company’s culture and will enable them to decide whether the workplace would be right for them. It can also make it easier to answer cultural fit questions, as there’s an understanding as to what is expected and what the recruiter is looking for.

Here at RMG Digital, we have a dedicated team of experts who know what our clients are looking for. We can help to prepare candidates for interviews and find the most talented cultural matches. Why not contact us today and discover how we can help.