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Hiring new employees is hard work. When inundated with resumes, it’s easy to get sidetracked by the candidate with the flashiest resume, but if their personality isn’t a match for your company culture, those top credentials will quickly prove irrelevant.

Cultural fit is often cited as the leading workplace retention factor, because when people don’t feel like they connect with the rest of the team, going to work stops being fun, and they quit. Skills can be acquired, but personality traits are inherent, so hiring for cultural fit is a must.

4 Ways to Incorporate Culture Into Your Recruiting Strategy

Be Honest About Your Culture

Your company culture should be something you’re really proud of, so weave it into every aspect of the interview process. Highlight it on your recruiting site, call it out in the job description — e.g., must have a sense of humor — and describe it during the interview process. This will make the right candidate even more interested and will serve as a red flag to those who don’t fit the bill.

Make Interviews a Team Initiative

For many reasons, it’s not a good idea for the boss to be the only person who meets prospective candidates before a hiring decision is made. From a hiring for workplace culture standpoint, different people pick up on different clues from candidates. You might miss a sign that indicates a candidate’s cultural fit, or lack thereof, but it will be glaringly obvious to another team member.

Plus, the candidate will see how you interact as a team, which will help them envision themselves as part of it — or not.

Create an Immersive Experience

It’s hard to gauge a candidate’s personality from a quick meeting in a conference room. Invite your top picks into the office for a more immersive interview, so you can get a strong feel for their personality. This might involve asking them to spend a few hours in the office with the team or taking them out for a group lunch, as long as it allows their true disposition to be revealed.

Ask Culture-Focused Questions

Behavioral interview questions will offer telling insights on a candidate’s cultural fit; however, you can be a little more direct. Questions like “Tell me about your ideal company culture” and “Why do you think you’re a fit for our workplace culture?” will also generate valuable responses that can help you make an informed hiring decision.

Need a little help finding new hires that perfectly fit your workplace culture? Wood Staffing is here to assist. Contact us today to connect with talented Michiana professionals who will make your team stronger than ever.

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