How to hire for the company culture you want—not the one you have

Better recruitment strategies can lead to better company culture, Matt Massucci says. The key is to value ‘culture add’ over ‘culture fit.’

Company culture gets talked about a lot. It is typically the first question people ask when interviewing.

There isn’t always an easy answer. Glassdoor is a simple place to start. You can do backdoor references on the company (talk to people who used to work there). Or you can check out a company’s values. But were those written by a few people at the top? Are they actually believed (and representative) of the people who work there? Either way – great questions to ask during the interview process.

Culture is also a hot topic for companies when they are hiring. Defining corporate values and ensuring those are met by prospective employees is a great starting point. 

What if a company is trying to change its culture? Or pivot in a new direction. As recruiters, we are often asked to hire for something (or someone) that is not easy. There is a difference between a challenging search and something that just isn’t realistic. The best recruiters on the planet can find top talent and tell a company’s story. But will top talent buy in and join? That is often the million dollar question. Hirewell has dozens of success stories doing just that. 

TLDR – It is possible. But it takes a consistent plan throughout the interview process.

• That plan needs to be articulated and understood by everyone involved in the hiring process.
• The entire interview panel needs to be on the same page and tell the same story.
• When you hire the perfect candidate, it requires a thoughtful onboarding process. 
• Most important of all – it requires a commitment to listening to others and embracing their ideas.

And a commitment to a thoughtful onboarding process. And most important of all – a commitment to listening to others and embracing their ideas. Looking for employees that add to your corporate culture means they will probably challenge the status quo.  Hiring people who all think the same way makes it really hard to change anything.Interested in reading more about the topic? I wrote an article about this for Fast Company. “How to Hire for the Company Culture you want, not the one you have.” Check it out!

Matt Massucci