The key to the perfect fit is not only somebody who has the right qualifications and skill set, but also who fits your company culture. Because culture is determined by a series of factors, things can get rather tricky.

Our goal is to help you find the perfect fit, but you can take the matter into your own hands. Here are five tips on how to assess a candidate’s culture fit.

1.

Know what qualities you’re looking for

How would you know that you’ve found the perfect fit if you don’t have an idea what kind of person you are looking for? Before you meet with the candidate, make a list of the qualities you would like them to possess. This includes personality traits – and even quirks.

2.

Ask open ended questions

Asking open ended questions is a great way of getting a person to talk about themselves. Try to ask questions that relate to both work and their personal interests – the idea is to give them an opportunity to speak freely, so that you get to know a bit about them. For example, “Give a scenario of when you were faced with a stressful situation, at home or work, and tell us how you coped with it.”

3.

See how they interact with others

Ultimately, the candidate will have to work with others in your company. When you find somebody you are keen on, ask them to come back for a trial run. If they spend a couple of hours in the office you will soon see how they interact with others. You will obviously not pick up on all their quirks and characteristics in such a short time, but it will become quite evident if they’re a compulsive pen-clicker, tea slurper or foot tapper – or if you have an office full of OCD employees and the candidate is a bit of a slob.

4.

Compare them to your existing staff

Take some time to contemplate how the potential candidate compares to your other employees in terms of culture, experience, talent and background. You could even draw up lists of traits and do a comparison. If there are glaring differences that could cause conflict, assess whether it can be resolved before hiring.  

5.

Introduce your company culture to them, and see how they respond

Avoid any potential personality crash-and-burns. Talk openly about your company culture with the candidate. Mention and discuss in-depth the different personalities you have in the company already, and try to recognise if there would be any tension or conflict between coworkers. For example, if you have a valued staff member with a particularly short fuse, mention this aspect of your employee to the candidate, and ask how they would deal with this person, giving specific scenarios. Assess whether their response is a good fit for you.

Culture Fit is Important

Having a good work environment is necessary for productivity. So much time is spent with co-workers; everybody should get on, and projects should be tackled in the same way. If every current staff member is a staunch Sharks supporter, do you really want a Bull in your midst? This may sound silly to some, but every company has its own unique culture, so it is essential that employees are compatible.