Interviewing for a Cultural Fit

Hiring the right person for a role requires more than simply matching skills to the job. In order for employees to succeed and do their best work, they need to be aligned with the culture of the company. Use these strategies to determine whether a candidate is truly a cultural match for your organization.

Values Are a Key Piece of the Culture Fit Puzzle

Values alignment is at the core of cultural alignment, so it is necessary to uncover candidates’ values during the course of an interview. However, you do not want to list out your corporate values for them, as candidates will skew their answers to what they think you are looking for, rather than being open about their actual preferences. A more effective strategy is to ask questions that help you uncover their actual core values.

Interview Questions to Uncover Cultural Fit

It can take a lot of practice to discover the types of questions to help you determine cultural alignment. And the types of questions you do ask will be influenced by your unique corporate culture. Here are some questions to use as starting points as you hone your process:

  • Describe the attributes you look for in a company before choosing to apply for a job. Look for a description that matches your own organization.
  • Describe your ideal role – a role where you would feel enthusiastic and able to make positive contributions. The answer should give you a peek into the type of job and work environment the candidate prefers.
  • Describe a situation in which you were working under extreme pressure. How did you manage? This question will tell you what types of situations a candidate believes to be “high pressure” and will give you a look at how they perform under such pressure.
  • Tell me about the best manager you ever worked for. This will tell you the type of management style a candidate prefers.
  • If your current employer offered you a raise to stay put, would you? Why or why not? This gives you a glimpse at the motivational factors of the candidate.

Evaluate the Questions They Ask You

Pay attention to the questions a candidate asks during an interview. Those questions can tell you a lot about their values, their approach to work and whether they have really thought about fitting in. If they ask about team dynamics, leadership style, long-term company vision, challenges, etc., they probably have thought about cultural alignment themselves.

Are You Ready to Start Hiring Culturally Aligned Ag Talent?

If you are looking for top sales and marketing talent for your ag business, contact the expert recruiters at Morris Bixby today. Our process is streamlined, accurate and efficient to ensure you have access the skilled, well-matched people you need, when you need them.

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