Beyond Skills: How to Hire for Cultural Fit

culled from:businessnewsdaily.com

If you're planning on bringing a new employee on board soon, consider hiring for company culture instead of just considering the candidate's skills and experience. Hiring for culture refers to choosing employees based on how well they suit and reflect the values of a business and its founders, instead of focusing solely on the skills and task-based knowledge of an applicant. Wondering if hiring for culture is a good idea for your business? Read on to learn more about this approach to selecting new workers.
Culture, the workforce and the hiring process
Today's businesses encompass many types of environments, as rapidly evolving technology encourages a wide range of business and individual work styles. 

"There are many different kinds of cultures, and people fit better in some cultures than they do in others," said Robert Preziosi, a human resources and leadership expert and professor at Nova Southeastern University's H. Wayne Huizenga School of Business and Entrepreneurship.
Preziosi said that the current demographics of the modern workforce, which includes a mix of generations like millennials and baby boomers, is contributing to the increasing interest in hiring for culture.
"It has become more popular to hire for cultural fit because of the wide range of behaviors that you can find in a multigeneration workforce driven by differing sets of values," Preziosi said.
Another reason for the increased interest in hiring to suit a company's culture instead of selecting employees for specific skills is that some people believe it may reduce the stress and the cost of the hiring process.
"If you choose the wrong candidate, then it takes time to fire them and hire someone else, while your current employees have to fulfill those unresolved tasks until the job is filled," said Dan Schawbel, author of "Promote Yourself: The New Rules For Career Success" (St. Martin's Press, 2013).
With so many skilled candidates to choose from, hiring managers can select someone who's not only skilled, but will fit the corporate culture and get along with management and other employees.
Although you may be able to teach employees new skills, "You can't train for cultural fit," Schawbel told Business News Daily. "If an employee doesn't fit the mold, then it's going to be nearly impossible to force it on them. They will eventually get frustrated and quit because they will want something that you can't provide them."
Shared beliefs matter
Before hiring for company culture, you need a firm understanding of what your particular business culture actually is.  [3 Ways to Improve Your Company Culture]
The best place to begin is with the founder or owner's values, Preziosi said. What is most important to your business? Friendly service for customers? The ability to work collaboratively? Once you've identified a few key values, it's time to make them actionable.
"Business owners should develop a short list of some actions for each value you would expect to see from a person who would be working in that business," Preziosi said.
Another important aspect of hiring for culture is to consider candidates based on shared beliefs. David Au-Yeung, co-founder and managing director of engineering for retail marketing technology platform Wishabi, said that when you hire for cultural fit, you are hiring for the long term.
"Culture is the lifeblood of a company," Au-Yeung said. "It's just like a marriage. We seek team members who believe in our vision, are aligned with our principles and want to grow the business rather than focus on individual success."
Tips for the interview
It's important that all members of an organization, especially anyone involved with interviewing potential employees, have a good grasp of your business culture, and refer back to it throughout the hiring process.
"Ensure that all of your team members understand and can articulate the founding principles of your culture, and that they know how to effectively test for these principles when they are interviewing candidates," Au-Yeung said. "It's also important to include culture-based questions in every interview round."
Schawbel recommended asking candidates a few nonwork-related questions during the interview, to see how well they'll fit your culture.
"Ask questions during the interview process such as, 'What's your favorite movie?', 'What's your favorite website?', 'What's the last book you read for fun?' and 'What makes you uncomfortable?'" Schawbel said.
Preziosi suggested comparing the candidate's responses to the list of your business's core values. This will give you an idea of how well the interviewee's behavior aligns with your culture.
Finally, remember that monitoring and improving cultural cohesiveness doesn't end when the interview is over.
"Cultural fit goes way beyond the interview," said Au-Yeung. "You need to refine and continually invest in fostering your culture to ensure long-term success.