Review The Job Description Carefully
It is important that you review the job description to understand what would be expected of you and so you can explain how you’ll be able to fulfill those expectations and be a good fit for the employer. You can use the job description as a guide because it will typically specify the required qualifications, experience, qualities and background that the employer wants in an ideal candidate. Familiarize yourself with these details and conduct a self-evaluation to determine if you qualify. The more you become confident that you are qualified for a particular position, the better your performance during the interview will be.
Behavioral Cultural Fit Interview Questions
Interview questions that require you to provide an example work situation from the past are called behavioral job interview questions. These questions focus on how exactly you handled these work situations. The way you respond to questions about adaptability tell the interviewer more about your work methods, flexibility, and work values.
In this article, we discuss why the interviewer is interested in how you fit within the company, questions you can expect and how you should answer interview questions about cultural fit. Also, read more about frequently asked job interview questions here and check our job interview preparation checklist.
Why Ask Candidates Cultural Fit Interview Questions
Your culture is a reflection of your companys values and mission. It shapes your employees way of working. Theres no right or wrong company culture. But hiring employees who fit well with yours increases your chances of achieving business goals and helps you foster an engaging work environment. It will also improve your retention rates.
Theres a catch, though. Cultural fit doesnt mean hiring people you like or being discriminatory. Hiring for culture fit means recruiting people who will thrive in your environment.
Before you start interviewing candidates, define your companys values and long-term objectives. Then evaluate whether candidates share the same values as you. Use your questions to identify toxic behaviors in potential hires before you make a hiring decision.
Here are some sample cultural fit interview questions you can ask candidates during your hiring process:
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Cultural Fit Interview Questions To Assess Organizational Fit
Conducting an interview is probably the best way to get to know your candidate inside out. And if were being honest, looking for a candidate who can fit in the company is just as important as finding someone with the relevant skills for the position. These days, its not just about experience or qualifications. You want someone who can fit into your companys culture as this would improve employee engagement, retention and satisfaction.
Would You Rather Work Alone Or In A Group
Employers will be able to tell if you’d be comfortable with the degree of cooperation required by the position based on your response to this question. A career as a sales associate, for example, may entail more collaboration and continual teamwork than a position as a technical writer, who may spend the majority of their day working alone on their tasks.
“I’ve always flourished in places where I can cooperate with others,” for example. I am convinced that excellent work is accomplished when more perspectives and ideas are shared. When necessary, though, I am completely capable of conducting hands-on labor.”
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Telling Compelling Stories In Your Interviews
As we have seen, telling stories about your own personal achievements is a large portion of the fit interview . However, just because you are telling your own anecdote does not mean that you can’t get it wrong.
A well-told story of a relatively minor achievement will be a lot better for your job prospects than a poorly related story of some monumental deed. Like jokes, your interview stories are all in the telling.
Get Ready To Follow Up After The Interview
After your interview, you should prepare to follow up with the employer. Doing so reminds the employer of your conversation, shows them you are genuinely interested in the position and gives you the opportunity to bring up points you forgot to mention.
Here are a few steps you can follow when crafting a follow-up note:
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In the first paragraph, mention the specific job title and thank your interviewer.
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In the second paragraph, note the companys name as well as a conversation point and/or goal that seemed especially important to the person you spoke with. Connect that point to your experience and interests.
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In the final paragraph, invite them to ask you any additional questions and close by saying youre looking forward to hearing back.
Read more: Follow-Up Email Examples For After the Interview
Final tip: If you dont know the answer to a certain question, it is perfectly acceptable to pause for a moment and simply state, Let me think about that for a moment. The employer will appreciate you taking the time to give them a thoughtful answer. Be sure to provide specific examples wherever possible. Taking time to prepare for an interview will ultimately help you feel more relaxed and confident during the process.
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Good Cultural Fit Questions To Ask At The End Of An Interview
Alright, weve spent a lot of time talking about why hiring managers are worried about culture fit. The thing is, you likely are, too. Overall, 46 percent of candidates think its incredibly important, while 88 percent feel its at least a relatively important factor.
In many cases, a strong culture fit leads to higher job satisfaction. Thats why you should seize opportunities to learn more about what the company brings to the table.
When that moment at the end of the interview arrives where you get to ask some questions, toss some questions about culture in the mix. If you arent sure where to begin, here are five good culture fit ones to add to your list.
What Are Cultural Fit Interviews
Interview questions on cultural fit are intended to identify applicants whose values, attitudes, and behavior align with your company’s culture. Hiring someone who does not match your company’s culture is a significant issue.
The interview allows a hiring manager to assess cultural fit, leadership style, and communication style. The interview ensures that both the job and the workplace culture match the candidate. And is a vital part of the hiring process.
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Interview Questions To Assess Cultural Fit
These are sample interview questions that will help you assess whether your prospective employee is a good match with your workplace culture and environment for employees. These questions are not listed in any priority sequence. You will need to pick the questions that best fit the characteristics that you seek to find in a new employee based on your workplace environment.
As you ask cultural fit interview questions and review your candidate’s responses to your interview questions, keep these guidelines for assessing their interview question responses in mind. You’ll hire better employees who will best succeed in working in your culture if you do:
Perform Research On The Company And Role
Researching the company youre applying to is an important part of preparing for an interview. Not only will it help provide context for your interview conversations, but it will also help you when preparing thoughtful questions for your interviewers.
Researching the company and role as much as possible will give you an edge over the competition. Not only that, but fully preparing for an interview will help you remain calm so that you can be at your best. Here are a few things you should know before you walk into your interview:
Research the product or service:Even if the role isn’t directly related to the company’s product or service, you’re still looking to be part of the team. It’s important to learn all you can about the product or service the company produces and promotes. You don’t necessarily need to understand each and every detail, especially if it’s a technical product, and you’re interviewing for a non-technical position, but you should have a basic understanding of the main products or services the company offers.
If possible, request a sample of the product to familiarize yourself with the customers perspective. The more you can tell them about the product from both a company and customer standpoint, the better you’ll perform in your interview.
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Understand The Importance Of Body Language And Tone Of Voice
Your tone of voice can say volumes about your personality traits and your confidence. If you want to make a lasting impression on the interviewers, practice speaking in a confident and strong voice that is professional but friendly at the same time. Also, focus on your body language and pay attention to how you shake hands, how you walk into a room, how you maintain eye contact, and when and how you smile.
How To Prepare For A Cultural Interview And How Does It Different From Behavioral
I have the following situation: I am in the last stage of the interview as a software developer.
As a part of a interview process I have to go through a behavior and cultural interview . The problem is that I do not know how is a cultural interview different from a behavioral and therefore has no idea how to prepare to it.
P.S. I like the company and would like to work there.
- 1companies always like people who are well put together, thoughtful, complimentary, easy to get along with. after that, it depends on the company. your san fran startup probably wants someone who isn’t too intense and is more relaxed, with a collaborative vibe. your wall st trader role wants someone intense, with a deeply competitive streak. Cultural is hard, you’ll generally either fit in or not, i wouldn’t recommend faking it
A cultural interview is likely to be somewhat informal and comprised primarily of the people you’ll be working closely with each day. They’re trying to figure out if you’re going to be a good fit for the office environment/culture – not your technical skills, but “will this person fit into the team well? How will they get along with the other individuals in the company who they’ll have to interact with on a regular basis?”
Be yourself. If you put on a persona in the interview and get the job, you won’t be able to keep that up daily for the next 5 years.
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Prepare For The Basic Questions
Another pre-interview tip is to prep for the basic interview questions that are highly likely to come up. When answering these questions, make sure to tailor your responses to the job role and company.
Some basic questions the help you prepare for a job interview:
- Tell me a little about yourself.
- What are your strengths?
- Where do you see yourself in five years?
- Why do you want to leave your current job?
- Tell me about a difficult decision you had to make and how you made it?
- Why should we hire you?
How Would Past Coworkers Best Describe Your Work Style
This question gives the candidate an opportunity to tell you about their work style from anothers point of view. Did their former coworkers often compliment them on their ability to prioritize and complete tasks under strict deadlines? This is great to know when searching for a virtual employee. Additionally, it allows the candidate to talk about their strengths without coming off as arrogant.
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How To Prepare For A Ux Interview
Once youve obtained the necessary UX skills and created your UX portfolio, youll then need to know how to prepare for a UX interview. Learning and practicing your unique responses to the most common UX interview questions can help you go into any interview with confidenceand hopefully come out with a job offer!
What Is Your Ideal Work Environment
Your potential employer wants to know how your preferences align with the company culture, including your ideal daily schedule and work environment. It is common that they ask about it during a strength-based interview to assess your potential to fit in with other employees.
Example:”My ideal work environment is characterised by flexibility. I enjoy having responsibilities that allow me to work both independently and as part of a team. I appreciate being able to spend time alone thinking about complex issues, but I thrive the most when I can communicate my ideas and findings to a team”.
Related:
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Know The Company And The Role
Research the company you’re applying to so that you understand the company culture and goals. The interviewers will expect you to have some idea about what the company does and what the role entails. In particular, you should have adequate information about:
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The company’s products or services: It is important to know the products and services they offer, even if the position you are applying for is not directly related to this. If hired, you will represent the company and you should know what type of products or services they offer. You do not need to become an expert, but you must know the basics. This can help you during the interview in case the interviewers ask you any specific product related questions. Drawing a complete blank may ruin your chances of success.
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The company culture: There was a time when information about a company’s internal culture was difficult to obtain, but today, with most modern organizations having social media accounts and openly discussing their culture and industry dynamics, i t is no longer so. By understanding the company’s culture, you can get an idea about its values and whether or not you would be a good fit within the company’s culture. Knowing that your values align with those of the company’s can make you more confident that this is the right opportunity for you.
How Do You Handle Stress
All positions come with certain levels of stress, so its helpful for employers to understand how you manage and work through stress. Interviewers will be seeking specific strategies you use to navigate stressful situations.
Example: My first position out of college had strict deadlines and a large workload. Although it was stressful at times, it allowed me to learn how to handle stress in the workplace. Organization and attention-to-detail help me to navigate these stressful situations. I create daily, weekly and monthly to-do lists to ensure I stay prioritized and on track.*
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The Best Ways To Prepare For An Interview
A study from JDP reports that applicants spend up to seven hours researching the company before their interview. Many candidates also research their interviewer. Because interviewing is often stressful, 70% of those survey practice their responses out loud, and 62% prepare anecdotes to share with the interviewer.
Here’s how to research the job and company, how to practice interview questions and answers, how to dress for the interview, how to follow up after the interview, and more interview preparation tips.
What Were The Positive/negative Aspects Of Your Previous Job And Work Environment
This last question gives the candidate an opportunity to tell you more about their previous role and what they experienced, both good and bad. This will help you decide if your companys work pace and structure align with the candidates preferences.
Find out what they liked best about the position and also what they didnt like. If a candidate didnt like the fact that they mostly worked in teams at their last job, its likely that they are better suited from a more independent work environment.
Does cultural fit play a role in your hiring process? If so, what interview questions do you ask to assess a candidates cultural fit?
Josh Tolan is the CEO of Spark Hire, a video interview solution used by more than 2,000 companies across the globe. Learn more about hiring for cultural fit and connect with Spark Hire on and.
Know exactly what you’re looking for by creating a Candidate Scorecard before you interview.
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What Is Your Most Significant Accomplishment
Recruiters ask this question to understand your values. They want to gain insight about what achievements you find most important because it can help them see what motivates you. When answering this question, you may want to give them an example of your work and show what is important to you.
Example:”In my last position, one of my colleagues had to resign from the job due to relocation. He was the only person on the team truly experienced in developing mobile apps. N**o one else on the team knew how todo it, so I volunteered to take over his duties because I had successfully launched an app before when I was at university. Thanks to this experience, I could help my whole team. We even managed to finish the project a few weeks before the deadline”.
Listen And Ask Questions
During a job interview, listening is just as important as answering questions. If you’re not paying attention, you’re not going to be able to give a good response.
It’s important to listen to the interviewer, pay attention, and take time, if you need it, to compose an appropriate answer. It’s also important to discuss your qualifications in a way that will impress the interviewer.
Also, be ready to engage the interviewer. You want there to be a give and take in the conversation, so you’re building a relationship with the interviewer rather than just providing rote responses to questions. Have questions of your own ready to ask the interviewer.
Toward the end of the interview, let the recruiter know that you believe the job is an excellent fit and that you are highly interested.
You’ll know if the interview went well if it runs longer than 30 minutes, you discuss salary, or you get an invitation to a second interview.
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