15 Interview Questions to Ask When Assessing Cultural Fit

Great hiring managers know that it takes more than just choosing the most experienced and skilled candidates for a successful hire. They know that the best hires are those who not only fit the job description but those who also fit well within the employer’s workplace culture.

Cultural fit is a significant factor plays a critical role in the success of onboarding new hires as well as in the longevity of an employee’s tenure. Assessing for cultural fit can be done either through pre-employment testing or in a behavioral interview. 

Prior to launching a recruiting assignment with a new client, we always do a deep dive on learning as much as possible about the organization’s culture. Part and parcel to that is getting to know the attitudes, management style and values of all stakeholders impacting the new hire – all of which can impact workplace culture.

Defining Your Workplace Culture

Before delving into cultural fit assessment, it’s essential to have a good grasp of what your workplace culture is.

Culture, in this context, is the composite of the attitudes, behaviors, beliefs, values, and expectations shared by an organization or a certain team—for example, the workplace culture in the Sales Department may be different from that of the Engineering Department.

The workplace culture manifests in various ways, including a group’s communication style, decision-making and priorities, level of formality, and in daily work practices—to name a few.

Additionally, it can be said that the workplace culture is highly influenced by those who are in a position of power, such as the founder, executives, managers, and team leaders. This is why it’s all the more important to assess for cultural fit if you’re hiring for managerial roles, as well as for technical and professional positions.

Cultural Fit Questions to Ask in Your Assessment

Ideally, assessing for cultural fit is best done through a combination of interview questions and pre-employment assessments (most particularly personality tests). Here are 15 questions or requests about cultural fit that you may want to consider incorporating in your assessment:

1. Describe your ideal work culture or environment where you feel you can be most productive and happy.
2. What were the positive aspects of your last job and work environment?
3. What managerial and/or leadership qualities do you value the most?
4. How do you think this role will challenge you?
5. What does work-life balance mean to you?
6. What is your ideal work schedule?
7. What are you passionate about?
8. What is your opinion about close friendships with your coworkers? Do you think this is good practice or bad practice?
9. Which of our company’s core values do you identify with the most? The least?
10. Kindly name the top three things you like about our company.
11. What role do you think empathy/kindness play at work?
12. What would you improve in our current business strategy/model, office setting, process, or website?
13. Tell me about a time when you encountered a situation at work that goes beyond your beliefs. How have you handled this? What was the outcome?
14. Tell me about a time where there was conflict between two or more people in the team you handled. How did you manage this?
15. Why did you choose to apply to (or interview with) our company?

Cultural Fit & Diversity in the Workplace

A crucial thing to note when assessing cultural fit in the hiring process is that you do not want to hire people who are exactly like you—attaining cultural fit does not mean hiring clones.

The people you hire should not only fit well with the company culture; there must also be a good balance of having differences. The value of diversity in the workplace is that it gives you the opportunity to bring in new ideas that could improve your organization. A great work culture is one that welcomes changes and values the individuality of each team member.

Over more than two decades of supporting the talent acquisition needs of clients, we at The QualiFind Group have seen countless times how cultural fit and diversity go hand-in-hand in contributing to a successful workplace environment. Each industry often has distinct differences that impact the formation of organizational culture. Working across industry sectors our recruiters recognize that individual and cultural nuance are two important factors to consider when evaluating potential hires.

If you need help with any of your hiring needs, The QualiFind Group offers a wide array of customizable headhunting and recruitment solutions at the functional professional and technical level. We have dedicated recruiting and research staff across the US, Canada, Mexico, Chile and Brazil supporting your needs throughout the Americas. Need talent in EMEA or APAC? We can introduce you to one of our partners within our global alliance with IRC Global Search Partners.

Engage The QualiFind Group for your next strategic hire! Get in touch with us at https://www.qualifindgroup.com/en/contact/ to get started!