Culture Fit and Manager Fit: Your Strategic Advantage

How many current employees would you rehire if the company or your department were started today?

Problem: Too many hiring decisions are based solely on job fit — the candidate’s first impression, number of years in the industry, worked for a competitor, has a degree from a prestigious college, or came highly recommended by a friend.

All valuable information, but job fit is not enough for today’s rapid-fire business environment. Hiring is the front door to your future success.

If you want to increase your employee retention and engagement you need more information. Today, candidates must fit the job, the culture, and the manager. For example: Does the candidate have the right attitude to fit your culture? Will this person be a good fit for your management style (i.e., micro-manager, dominating, affirming, etc.)? Hiring decisions that are based on a person’s overall fit will benefit the company and the individual.

Here are three ways to tell if a candidate will fit your management style and your culture:

1. Today’s candidates come prepared with standard, canned answers to the most asked interview questions. Dig deep and don’t accept their prepared answers. Be prepared with behavioral-based interview questions with several probing follow-up questions.
2. Scientifically based pre-hire assessments will give you objective 3rd party information about the candidate. Your assessments should include a distortion scale to determine if the candidate is misrepresenting themselves. Your assessment should have company-specific benchmarks, include interview questions, and have multiple uses (i.e., selection, promotions, career development, conflict resolution, leadership, etc.)
3. Ask the candidate what type of manager he/she performs best with – dominant, detail-oriented, aggressive, etc. Conversely, what management style most intimidates them?
   
   Employees are looking for work/life balance, to be part of something bigger than themselves, to contribute to a worthwhile cause, and to be respected for what they bring to the job. Hiring for job fit alone is no longer working. Add culture fit and manager fit to gain a competitive advantage.

About the Author

John Bishop