Here’s how to make sure the candidate fits your culture before you bring them on board:
- Make your values clear early on
Make sure that your values are communicated clearly throughout the whole hiring process, starting this early through mentioning it in the job ad is ideal. Lay out your values in the job description and talk about the workplace environment so that candidates can get an idea of this before they even apply. This will help you to attract the right kind of person from the offset and hopefully candidates will choose your company because their values align with yours.
- Use personality testing
Having your candidates take a personality assessment can offer you some metrics to judge the individual by before you even interview them. Personality questionnaires aim to measure character traits such as confidence, empathy, attitude to risk and independence. There’s no right or wrong answers in this type of test so providing the candidate answers true to themselves, it should provide a good insight into what type of a person they are and how they behave in different work scenarios.
- Ask open questions in the interview process
Using open-ended questions in the interview will encourage the candidate to lead the conversation and see how they communicate without being prompted. The more the candidate talks, the deeper understanding you’ll gain into their personality and behaviours. Ask questions such as ‘What’s your ideal work environment?’, ‘What type of team do you thrive in and give an example of a time you’ve worked well in team?’, ‘What is it about our company that made you apply for this role?’ or ‘What inspires you?’. You could also mix it up slightly and ask an off-the-wall question that the candidate won’t be expecting; something they can’t prepare an answer for and their real personality will come through.
- Introduce them to the business
Invite the candidate to take a walk around the office with you and give them in insight into the day-to-day running of business. Allowing them to see the environment is a great introduction to them of the company culture and will give them a better feel for the team and how they will fit into it. It also gives you the chance to see how the individual interacts with your existing team and gauge how comfortable they feel in your business environment.
- Be open minded
Although getting the right fit is crucial, it’s also important to be careful that you’re not discriminating whilst concentrating on finding one particular type of person. Hiring people from different backgrounds can offer a lot of value to your business in terms of experience, innovation and new ideas – so remember it’s positive to diversify too! As long as they share your vision and goals for the company, the more different personalities you have in your company, the better!
