Looking below the surface for cultural fit

by Kathryn FitzGerald
 

Why great employers value 'cultural fit'

Company culture has an enormous impact on attracting and retaining top talent, which explains why many of the companies noted for their unique, enjoyable work cultures are also some of the most profitable.

 

At the same time, aptitude, personality and cultural fit will emerge as key factors in the talent selection process, favoured over traditional hiring factors, such as specific qualifications.
 
Focusing on aptitude and attitude to do the job and investing in learning and development to build needed skills and qualifications, will enable organisations to expand their talent pool and enhance their culture.

Looking below the surface

As a recruiter, one of the most common frustrations occurs when a hiring manager makes a decision about candidate suitability based solely on a resume.
 
Why? A good recruiter will shortlist a candidate after a number of stages of assessment - not just because they look good (or sometimes not so good) on paper.
 
A person's technical competencies - that is most of the information commonly found on a resume - is a particularly poor predictor of performance.  It's just the tip of the Recruitment Iceberg (see description below).

Skills are cheap

Technical competencies are relatively easy to assess, teach, change and adapt.
  • Managed a team? Tick.
  • Demonstrated communication skills? Tick.
  • Demonstrated five years of experience in a similar role. Tick.

Let's be honest, if recruitment was as simple as checking the selection criteria tick boxes I'd be out of a job.

Identifying behavioural and motivational competencies

The reason recruitment is so difficult is because what lies below the surface is more important to any employee's long-term success.
  • How did they manage their team?
  • What type of stakeholders did they communicate with?
  • Why was their approach effective?
A person's behavioural competencies and, even deeper, their motivations and values are the aspects of a person's personality that are not so easily understood and are very difficult, sometimes impossible, to change.
 
Think about the high performers and leaders in your business. What behaviours do they exhibit? What separates them from the rest of the team? What behaviours does your business value or reward? These are the types of questions that you need to answer in order to identify the type of person that will perform long-term.
 
So while it's a bonus to find a candidate with all the technical skills and experience you are looking for, employ at your own risk. If you haven't assessed their behavioural competencies (how they do it) or if you don't understand their motivation and values (why they approach different scenarios the way they do) then you are probably only hiring for the short term.
 

Understanding the recruitment iceberg


 

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For further information, contact Kathryn at kfitzgerald@dixonappointments.com.au or call 03 9629 9999.