Hiring for Cultural Fit.
The idea that recruitment and organizational culture may be seen as unrelated when considering the implementation of the recruitment process is not absolute; when in fact, both concepts are intimately connected. Culture is the secret sauce that inspires employees to stay motivated to overcome their challenges and deliver. How does culture affect the hiring within a company? Can paying more attention to organizational culture impact the quality of the recruitment process? How can a company use its culture to improve recruitment results?
A company’s hiring process may effectively screen candidates using established requirements and criteria. Candidates are selected based on their accomplishments and experience. So, how does a recruiter choose the best candidate to hire when open positions are limited?
The success of any recruitment efforts may depend on the recruiter’s ability to thoroughly understand, articulate and demonstrate the wide variety of customs, traditions, values and ideas collectively known as the organizational culture. Finding the right hire means finding the ideal candidate who can work best in the company culture that has already been established.
Below are 3 factors companies should hire for cultural fit:
1. Culture Instills Value and Purpose
Culture instills in its employees a sense of value and purpose. It brings about a collective commitment to the organization. Culture promotes a work environment that is perceived as positive, reinforcing and supportive to the growth and development of its employees. Organizational culture provides a foundation for the workplace and allows those involved to be able to identify and develop goals and objectives necessary to meet the needs of the organization in a logical and productive manner.
Finding candidates that fit in to the existing culture are likely to feel more comfortable in their new environment. When people work well together they are more likely to offer and accept constructive feedback from one another. This promotes collaboration, accountability and teamwork.
2. Cultural Fit vs. Industry Fit
While a candidate’s background and industry experience can initially be an important part of the pre-screening and hiring process, it may not always be the most critical factor in the decision to hire.
Consider that the candidate’s cultural upbringing evolves gradually as result of past work experiences, circumstances, situations and people. These factors leave a mark on the individual’s psyche and may lead to contradiction with the new organizational culture. A candidate’s past experience in a certain corporate environment could be the single reason they easily adopt and thrive in the culture of a new company or not be able to fit in at all.
Choosing candidates who can get along with the team compliments the existing culture and adds to greater comfort levels that promotes collaboration and teamwork. Establishing protocols that extract this type of information in the interview process can help provide the insights needed to determine the candidate’s cultural fit. Having the right recruitment system in place that ensures this critical information is captured and available will improve the quality and success of the newly hired.
3. Promoting Culture to Attract Right Talent
Attracting talent and finding the best candidates to recruit will require promoting the organizational culture. Knowing the channels to effectively market your employer brand can demonstrate the culture that exist within your company to the right audiences. As a result, you will effectively attract the best candidates who not only fit but can also see themselves as part of your team!
In closing, the 3 factors companies should hire for cultural fit should be incorporated into your recruitment process. Asking the right questions to capture this information during the interview process will provide valuable insights when making the final decision to hire. It’s time to assess your existing process by asking these questions. How well are you able to communicate with your team when sharing the insights you discover during an interview of a prospective candidate? Are you putting as much emphasis on cultural fit as you do in ensuring skill and industry fit? Do you invest in various types of employer branding to attract the best talent that are aligned with your organizational culture? I encourage you to check out www.kalibrr.com to find out more about how this end-to-end recruitment platform is able to improve your recruitment results.
I am advocate for cultural fit. This is how we build teams it has served us well. Happy recruiting!
