About Culture Fit

One aspect a company may look at when hiring is cultural fit. Culture fit is when a company evaluates how a potential employee may express the characteristics, language, and values that exist within the current organizational culture.

Companies usually only want candidates whose beliefs and behavior systems appear compatible with the company's specific culture. When a candidate's values, beliefs, outlook, and behavior are compatible with those existing within the company, he or she is likely to be a good cultural fit.

When Is Culture Fit Used in the Hiring Process

When a company is assessing a candidate's culture fit, it may use different tools. For instance, it may employ an interview, an assessment test, or a personality test.

The interview is the most likely time for culture fit to be assessed. The interview enables employees to determine if a candidate fits the job. The purpose of most interview questions is to assess a candidate's cultural fit.

Culture fit assessment tests ask a candidate about his or her experiences and personality. Some examples of this are personal preferences, how the candidate acts in different situations, views, and opinions. The assessment can also be viewed as a personality test.

A personality test can be used to show what traits a candidate possesses. An employer may take the results of a personality test and compare them with what the company is looking for in a person applying for a specific position.

For employers, a deciding factor in whether or not a candidate gets the job is how he or she answers questions. For example, seeing how a candidate approached a variety of work situations in the past can tell an employer if the candidate's style and behavior are compatible with the company.

Examples of Culture Fit

Here are some examples of culture interview questions:

  • Do you prefer working alone or as part of a team?
  • What role are you are most likely to play in a team? Give an example.
  • What is your leadership style?
  • How would your co-workers describe your work style?
  • Describe an occasion when you made a customer or client pleased with the service you gave them?
  • How would people you have worked with describe their relationship with you?

Some companies use a culture fit assessment test. Below is an example of a type of question that may be found on the assessment.

Pick only one of the following:

I always do my best to inspire others.

OR

I ensure I have 100% of the information before taking risks.

Preparing for Culture Fit Assessment Tests

The best way to prepare for a culture fit assessment is to learn about the company before going in for an interview or taking an assessment test. Learning about what is important to the company and how things are run may help you get a better idea of what it is looking for in an applicant. In addition to learning about the company, taking practice personality tests can help you learn more about yourself and how a company may view your traits. Start preparing with JobTestPrep's personality practice test today.