Cultural fit is one thing that you can’t judge by just candidate’s resume — and it can often be hard to truly assess. According to a 2015 study by Deloitte, 87 percent of hiring managers cited cultural fit as one of their biggest challenges, with 50 percent saying it was a priority to find a solution.
To help with this process, it’s important to assess candidates in three main categories: character, teamwork, and communication. Below are some culture interview questions that will help you get a stronger sense of potential fit.
Character
While assessing character, it’s important to see how an applicant’s personality would impact your workplace. The following questions will give you a better sense of a candidate’s personal values, and how they view themselves:
- What’s the most difficult decision you’ve ever made?
- What do you think makes someone trustworthy?
- What's your ideal working environment?
- What do people not like about you?
- What values are most important to you?
Teamwork
When evaluating a candidate’s teamwork ethic, it’s important to determine their views on working in a group, and what traits they value in their superiors.
- What were some characteristics of the best boss you ever had, or what would your ideal boss be like?
- What sort of community service are you or have you been involved in?
- When you work on a team, what role are you most likely to take?
Communication
Evaluating a candidate’s communication skills should tell you what sort of work to expect from the candidate.
- Describe a situation where you felt you didn’t communicate well. Looking back, how could you have handled the situation differently?
- Have you ever had to sell an idea to a co-worker? How did you do it?
- What are the top things that must be present for an organization to communicate effectively?
Once you have a list of questions, determine how candidates can best answer them. Quick digital interviews during the screening process can help you cover the most important questions efficiently. It'll also give you an opportunity to assess body language even before they step foot in your office.
Have candidates meet with several people on their potential team when they come in for an in-person interview. This presents the perfect opportunity for natural conversation to see if the potential colleagues interact well. Recruiting for cultural fit will lead to thriving and happy employees, which ultimately leads to long-term success.
