How to hire for culture add

Now I'm not saying we can predict the future...

...but a couple of years ago we wrote about how companies are moving away from 'culture fit' in favour of a 'culture add' approach to hiring. A few years on, it's now in the top 10 most searched topics by people who are hiring. After all, whilst team fit is important (you spend a lot of time with your colleagues!) you also want to hire people who are going to bring new ideas and challenge your existing ones. 

And whilst it's all well and good knowing the benefits of hiring for culture add, it's a different ballgame when it comes to screening for it at interview. How can you get a good gauge on the impact someone is going to have on the team?

This isn't a perfect science, but here's a few ways you can start to assess how well someone could add to your culture. And remember, the key is to be open to new perspectives!
 

Ask them about their perspective

There's no better way to gauge how someone would practically approach positively influencing your culture than to ask them what company culture means to them. Whether that's asking them about a time where they introduced a different approach or challenged the status quo, or about what kind of culture helps them perform at their best, asking open questions that centre on company culture will help you understand where they're coming from.

This'll help you understand what values they prioritise, and how they can fit in or add to the values your company culture currently upholds.

Plan in advance

This sounds really obvious, so forgive us. But if you're serious about culture add and have identified some gaps in your existing culture that you think you should fill, go into any interviews with prospective candidates with this in mind.

Some companies choose to use a scorecard to help them assess this. Whether it's things like challenging groupthink, or demonstrating creative thinking, consider what 'culture add' could look like for you, and look for it in the candidate's answers.

The thing to remember here is that this shouldn't take precedent over screening them for the competencies of the role. This should be something you look for within the answers they give to your questions, rather than letting it detract from the main purpose of the interview.

Include different perspectives on the interview panel

Getting the candidate to meet people from different functions in the business (if appropriate!) during an interview process can help avoid bias creeping in when you're assessing someone. 

They'll be able to give you a more balanced view of the person you're looking to hire, particularly when it comes to where they can complement the existing culture.

And if you're feeling really brave…

…how about putting the interview into reverse and asking for their view on how they'd improve or enhance your current culture?

This isn't question a we'd recommend everyone asking, but if you're open to it why not? We'd recommend looking for answers that have thoughtful commentary on their perception of your current culture and how they'd approach growing it.

Culture add is the future

We're not seeing hiring for culture or values add going anywhere anytime soon (and we're glad of that!) so it pays to give it some thought when you're doing your next round of hiring.

Speaking of, if you're looking to grow your team this year we can help. Get in touch with us on info@fmctalent.com.