Author: Jolene Risch

We love seeing our work in action! Lillie Ritter from Primed Business Consulting has been a long time client and we recruited Ali Steffanucci for her. Together they worked on this article, Pivot to Preparation – The Importance of Training in Navigating These Times of Change. 

If you’ve spent much time learning about recruiting or hiring, you’ve probably come across the word “fit.” We’ve used “fit” often to describe the way a candidate might match a company’s or a position’s skillset. We even offer a FIT assessment. 

While “fit” is typically a positive descriptor, it’s important to understand that using the term loosely can lead to biased hiring decisions and a workforce that lacks diversity. 

To avoid using the word “fit” to perpetuate bias in company cultures, we want to make sure we give it a clear definition. 

What “fit” shouldn’t mean when hiring

When using “fit” in a hiring situation, make sure you’re not simply describing a person you’d like to hang out with. “What most people mean by culture fit is hiring people they’d like to have a beer with,” writes Patty McCord. 

This definition is subjective and problematic. We’re likely to subconsciously choose people with similar interests, backgrounds, and cultures to our own. But people with all kinds of personalities can be effective at doing their jobs. And, it’s proven that diverse companies are better performing than non diverse ones. 

Give “culture fit” an objective, measurable definition

Culture is another word that’s used loosely in recruiting. Of course we want to hire people who will be able to collaborate with employees across the company and share our values. But, we can’t simply hire people we “click” with and still assure we aren’t being biased. That’s why it’s important to define our company cultures in clear terms. 

Mel Hannigan writes, “If hiring managers define culture fit in terms of personality traits, favoring certain job candidates because they ‘are friendly’ or ‘have a good attitude,’ those managers hinder their organization’s ability to innovate because of its homogenous workforce. Conversely, hiring managers who describe their culture in qualitative terms, such as ‘low structure’ or ‘high autonomy with a complex matrix,’ have a better chance of mapping the skills and abilities of a diverse set of people into their culture.”

Try looking for “culture adds” instead of “culture fit”

Once you’ve been able to name attributes of your company culture, think about hiring people who can add value to your culture, not just fit into it. 

Pandora was one of the first companies to take a “culture add” approach to hiring.  The notion of culture add reflected their desire to ensure all voices, opinions, views, upbringings, were reflected by their staff makeup.

It takes some probing to truly understand how a candidate may contribute to your culture. By learning about how a candidate seeks motivation, solves problems, communicates, and leads, you may find the best match for your job vacancy isn’t what you expected. Often, hiring a person with a new and different approach to their job can lead to more expansive outcomes.

Consider a “values fit” approach

What many companies find when they dig into defining culture is that they’re identifying their core values. Perhaps your company’s values include “open, transparent communication,” “autonomy instead of micromanagement,” and “collaborative, inclusive ways to solve problems.” 

Look for candidates who align to your company’s value system rather than an ambiguous idea of culture. Regardless of a candidate’s personality type, interests, background, or style, sharing these core values can help advance the vision of your organization. This will open your search to people you may not have previously considered. And, it will eliminate people whose core values aren’t aligned to yours.

Are you looking for ways to mitigate bias in your talent search? We’re here to help you find the right match for your company. 

As a full service recruiting and staffing firm, we’re with our clients step-by-step throughout the hiring process. For the past few months, an added challenge for many of our clients has been navigating the hiring process virtually. 

Whether you’re hiring for a remote role or hosting interviews on Zoom for the first time, here are some of our top tips for hiring in our virtual world. 

1. Leverage video technology for the virtual interview process. 

Meeting a candidate for the first time on a video call can feel awkward or intimidating, but there are a lot of benefits for employers who can leverage video technology for interviews. For starters, using video is a close second to getting to meet the candidate in person. You’re able to have a personal conversation, read facial expressions, and get a good sense of a person’s ability to communicate online. If you use Zoom or other technology, you also have the ability to record the interview sessions to review or share with teammates. 

A few things to keep in mind when conducting video interviews: it’s your job as the employer to set the bar. Send clear instructions to the candidates and dress professionally, just like you would for an in-person interview. Set yourself up at a desk or table (not a couch and never a bed!) somewhere free of distractions.

And be forgiving about technology mishaps. If necessary, help the candidate facilitate their audio and video options so that both of you are able to focus on the interview questions rather than the technology. 

2. Assess for personality and soft skills. 

It’s tempting when we’re hiring for a remote position or conducting virtual interviews to focus more on hard skills than soft skills. If a candidate’s going to be working from home, it’s important for us to know they’ve got the right skillset to do the job. 

At the same time, though, skills like organization, communication, and time management are essential for employees who aren’t coming into an office every day. At Risch Results, we have a number of different assessments and tools we use to assess soft skills, motivation, and personality.

3. Have a virtual onboarding plan.

Once you’ve made an offer, have a plan for getting your new hire acquainted with the systems, processes, and people they’ll need to know within your company. Will you need to set up Zoom meetings with teams? Do you need to create tutorial videos for programs or systems? Will they need to sign paperwork virtually? Set clear expectations for their first 30, 60, and 90 days, and help to facilitate the process. 

We love tools like Loom for creating and narrating easy screen-recording videos or sending video messages. Google Drive and Dropbox are great places to share files, and Docusign makes it easy to receive e-signatures. 

4. Build your company culture into the virtual hiring process.

Finally, remember that candidates are also interviewing you. If you want to attract the right talent, showcase your company culture throughout the process. Can you display the company logo proudly in the background during the interview process? Do you have effective processes in place throughout the hiring process that make you an attractive company to work for? Have you found ways to include team members who can give a sense of company culture? Are there virtual welcome meetings or team building activities after you make an offer? There are plenty of creative ways to weave your culture into a virtual landscape. 

If hiring virtually feels overwhelming, we’re here to help. Contact us with your virtual hiring questions!