Company Culture Fit

When we're #hiring for culture fit, what does that even mean?

Are we evaluating if the candidate:
- plays well with others?
- conforms to the 5 clichéd values in our employee handbook?
- is a pretentious jerk?

OK. But isn't that what every employer is looking for?

How are these requirements specific to a given culture?

The reality is that many hiring managers assess "culture fit" differently.

They're wondering:

1. Does the candidate agree with my thinking?
2. Does he/she conform to the personality types (e.g. extroverts) we've hired?

In this case, "culture fit" is effectively a hunt for clones.

But if everyone thinks, behaves, talks & works the same, how do you innovate?

If someone is excited about the problem you're solving but has other ideas on the "how", then they are adding to your culture, not taking away from it.

But before such diversity is acquired, employers must create psychologically safe environments for healthy debates where egos are kept out.

Then, what really needs to be evaluated is:

1. Does the candidate have a problem with the line of work ex: a casino product for a conservative Muslim isn't a fit.

2. Is the candidate even excited about what we're solving?

3. Will our setup be able to leverage the max value from him/her?