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Culture Fit Questions To Ask In An Interview (With Examples)

By Di Doherty - Feb. 21, 2023
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Summary. With there being more competition for skilled workers, the issue of company culture has come to the forefront. Culture isn’t just imposed from the top, but something that everyone who works at a company is a part of. That means that bringing in new talent that clashes with the current culture can be disruptive, counterproductive, and even end up altering the culture.

In the case of a company having a positive culture, making sure that you don’t hire someone who’s disruptive to the culture should be a consideration. Many workers consider the company culture to be a major factor in how much they like their job and how likely they are to stay with the company.

Key Takeaways:

  • Culture fit is making sure that the new employee’s values and priorities match with the company’s.

  • Asking culture-fit questions in a job interview can help to ascertain how well the candidate is likely to mesh with the current culture.

  • Hiring someone who fits well with the current culture decreases conflict, reinforces the culture, and helps them to adjust to the new workplace more quickly.

What Is Culture Fit?

Every company has its own culture and set of values. If a candidate is a good fit for the company culture, then their way of doing things and core values are going to align with the organization’s – as well as their fellow employees.

Hiring a new employee that aligns with your company culture helps with shortening the adjustment period, reducing conflicts, and reinforcing the current culture. In the case of having a positive culture that your employees like, then enhancing or reinforcing the culture is a boon and likely to help with talent acquisition across the board.

Culture Fit Question Examples

There are myriad different questions that can be asked to try to determine company culture fit. However, when you choose your questions, you should be considering just what you want to highlight. What answers are you looking for? What answers are you not looking for?

The latter is more important than finding someone who gives you the right answers – you want to leave room for someone to surprise you.

Here are some sample questions to ask in an interview.

  1. What was the first job you ever had, and what did you learn from it?

    Should you especially care what their first job was? Probably not, though you’re likely to get a few interesting answers. However, the important thing is how they dealt with that first brush with paid responsibility and what they’ve carried with them into their career.

  2. What are you passionate about outside of work?

    It’s important to keep in mind that there isn’t a wrong answer for this (unless perhaps they come up with something illegal or not work-appropriate). That being said, in terms of culture fit, it can be helpful if it’s a hobby other employees share. Even if it isn’t, if it’s a hobby that’s tangentially related or requires important skills, then it can be a major plus.

  3. How do you prefer to be managed?

    Every organization has its own management style. Some are very laid back, while others are more hands-on. If the interviewee describes a management style that is the polar opposite of the style preferred in your business, that could be an issue.

    That being said, it’s important to note that just because they prefer it doesn’t mean they can’t work well with other styles. Unless the answer is dishonest or disparages a particular management style, it’s unlikely to be a deal breaker.

  4. Do you prefer working individually or as part of a team?

    Again, in most cases, there isn’t a wrong answer for this. Most workplaces require at least some teamwork, though there are some jobs that are extremely solitary. Most writing positions, for instance, involve a lot of time working alone. The same is true for a software engineer.

  5. Which of our company’s values do you identify the most with?

    This question serves two purposes. The first is to show whether or not the interviewee looked into what your company values are. The second is to see how they identify with those values and how they interpret them. The first shows that this is a person who does their homework, and the second shows how they’re able to put things together.

  6. What was something you liked about a previous job that you’d like to have here?

    Everyone recommends staying away from negativity in an interview, which means that most interviewees would be reluctant to say much of anything bad about a previous job, even if asked about it. However, asking them for something positive is a different spin and is much more likely to make them open up.

    It also shows that they’re able to pull positive aspects out of their previous experiences. You can try to gauge how sincere they are about their answer, as well as if it would be at all reasonable to implement a similar policy – if you don’t already have one.

  7. Under what circumstances would you quit a job in a month?

    This question hints at responsibility. You’re likely not looking for an answer of “if I get a better offer,” though that may be an honest answer. However, the majority of interviewees are going to know that employers look for a bit of loyalty – or at least politeness – and will either say that they wouldn’t or would mention an emergency.

  8. How important is work-life balance to you?

    A question of this sort can really highlight the company culture. Many more organizations are beginning to prioritize work-life balance, but there are still careers where you’re expected to devote yourself to your job. Depending on the nature of your business, one or the other answer can show the person to be a poor fit.

  9. Have you ever had a conflict with a coworker? If so, how’d you resolve it?

    This is an attempt to assess soft skills. Unless they haven’t been working for very long, it’s unlikely they haven’t had at least a minor disagreement with a coworker. What the dispute was about and how they worked to resolve it are important in terms of how they’ll likely deal with disagreements in the future.

  10. What’s the last book you read?

    Questions like these are more along the lines of small talk. However, they can result in some very interesting answers. It’ll allow you to see if they share similar interests with other employees at your company, as well as let you know a bit about their life outside of work.

    If they aren’t a reader, you can inquire about the last movie they saw or television show they watched. Even the last album that they listened to. The point is to learn a bit more about their personal interests and how they react when they’re being discussed.

  11. How will this job challenge you?

    If your company culture emphasizes striving and challenging oneself, then you’re going to want them to detail the potential challenges of the job with enthusiasm. If you have a more steady culture, then you still want to see that they’ve thought about it, but you may not expect as much interest or anticipation in being challenged.

  12. Do you try to make friends with your coworkers?

    It’s important to understand how they tend to interact with the people they work with. If your workplace is very tight-knit and prioritizes interpersonal relationships, but your interviewee isn’t big on work friendships, it’s likely not a good fit. The reverse may also be true, though it is possible to make friends with coworkers without a social culture.

  13. Who is your role model?

    In most cases, it’s best if your interviewee can somehow tie this into their work accomplishments and mindset. However, sometimes you’ll get a surprising answer. In most cases, the reason someone is their role model is much more important than who their role model is. Finding that out can be enlightening.

  14. How do you react if others disagree with you?

    Most interviewees should know better than to give an answer of “I get offended” or something along those lines. However, how they go about dealing with disagreements can be interesting. Do they try to persuade them? Do they drop the subject? Are they conflict-averse?

    There are likely to be disagreements about how to do things in the workplace. It’s good to have some notion of how the new hire will react in a situation like that. If it’s very much a culture where people discuss ideas and openly disagree, and the candidate seems to dislike the idea of having someone challenge them, they likely won’t mesh well.

  15. Tell me something that most people are surprised to hear about you.

    This question is mostly just to learn more about them as a person. You’re likely to get some very interesting answers – mostly ones that challenge stereotypes or assumptions based on appearance. But being willing to admit that they do something “outside the norm” can also show maturity and willingness to challenge conventions.

Culture Fit Interview Questions FAQ

  1. Should you hire for culture fit?

    Hiring someone who fits in with the culture can aid with assimilation, preventing conflicts, and reinforcing the current culture. If your organization has a positive culture that you want to maintain, it’s important to try to hire people who won’t disrupt it. Culture fit shouldn’t necessarily be the primary criterion, but it should be considered.

  2. Is it possible to test for culture fit?

    Personality tests are a way to test for culture fit. Tests of that sort aren’t foolproof, which means that you’ll still want to see how they do in the interview, but they can give you an idea if they’re a very poor fit or likely to be a good fit.

Author

Di Doherty

Di has been a writer for more than half her life. Most of her writing so far has been fiction, and she’s gotten short stories published in online magazines Kzine and Silver Blade, as well as a flash fiction piece in the Bookends review. Di graduated from Mary Baldwin College (now University) with a degree in Psychology and Sociology.

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