Hiring for "Fit"

Jim Collins, author of Good to Great, believes strongly that “people” are not our most important asset, but the right people are. The right people are more likely to be engaged in their work, be more productive, and are willing to go the extra mile for your organization. This means that the recruiting process should concentrate on person-organization matches as well as person-position matches. So how do we ensure that our actions contribute toward the goal of hiring the “right” people?

Defining your organizational culture is a great first step. Ask employees, new hires as well as tenured staff, how they perceive your culture. Conducting a well-developed employee feedback survey can be helpful in this regard as well. Recognize that a disconnect may exist between the culture senior management believes exists and the culture that the employees perceive. Reconciling this disconnect is a worthwhile initiative that helps to unify the organization.

Once we define our organizational culture, it is imperative that we hire for fit within our culture. We can begin by listening to the responses given by candidates under consideration. Many times in the interview process we are so busy selling our company that we fail to listen to the candidate. Initially, the interviewer should listen. Prepare your list of targeted interview questions, which require responses that take your organizational culture into consideration. It is important to determine whether the candidate can thrive in your environment. Behavioral interviewing techniques are critical to this process.

The candidate should be doing most of the talking, at least in the beginning. Once you have determined that this applicant may indeed be a candidate for consideration, then you can sell the candidate on why he/she should work for your organization.

Don’t apologize for your corporate culture. When attempting to assess for fit it is important that you be direct and accurate in your description of the culture. Not every organization is for everyone. Your goal is not to get every candidate to accept an offer…your goal is to get the right candidate to accept your offer.

Some targeted questions to ask in the interview process are: “Describe the work environment in which you would be thrilled to go to work everyday. In the past, what kind of work environment/culture best supported your high performance? Why?”

If the applicant’s description of his or her ideal culture does not align with yours, then take that under consideration. When interviewing candidates who are accustomed to working in an environment that is different from your current one, probe for information that will ensure they will be able to adapt and adjust to the transition.

In utilizing the interview process to discover what motivates potential employees and aligning these motivations with your corporate culture, you will be ensuring a great fit for your organization.

• Hiring an Exceptional Workforce

• Hiring for "Fit"

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• Third Annual Winter Coat Drive

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