Does Culture Fit matter more?
As a talent professional who has been placing people for over a decade, I’ve noticed many trends over the years that have come and gone. One of the latest trends I’m seeing is how culture fit is playing a role in the hiring decision. This isn’t to say that culture fit has never been important, because if you don’t jive with the organizational culture, success is probably going to be limited. You’re likely to become someone that either blends in and falls off the radar or you become that person that no one wants to work with because you’ve been deemed the one with a scarlet letter. Most of us have seen this happen, however, with personality testing becoming more available and more “scientifically” able to provide that perfect or close to perfect match, culture fit MATTERS and sometimes, it matters more than the skills you bring to the position.
Social Media, while a wonderful tool, gives potential employers and co-workers a bird’s eye view into your personal life. Does your Facebook feed suggest you have tendencies that don’t work well with the other employees in the building? Do you have inappropriate pictures on your Instagram that suggest you wouldn’t represent the company’s morals or ethics? The unfortunate truth is that unless you take the privacy steps to block out the public from your social media sites, it is going to be something that plays a part in determining if you fit the cultural standards of the business or not.
The market is scarce for good, EXPERIENCED candidates right now. That is a fact! The question is, do I hire the recent grad who has the right attitude and limited experience but is willing to be trained OR do I hire the experienced professional who has shown bad habits throughout the interview process or elsewhere? I’ll let you decide that one, but I know what I would do in that situation.
Just remember this message the next time you find an email in your box saying, “Thank you so much for interviewing with our company! Unfortunately, we have decided not to move forward in the process.” In other words, there’s a good chance you exhibited behavior that gave them reason to believe you wouldn’t fit the culture of the current team.
By Jamie Kempski
Recruiting Manager, VonSwy Solutions LLC (WMBE)