What job applicants need to know about culture fit - Enhancv

What job applicants need to know about culture fit - EnhancvWhat job applicants need to know about culture fit - It all started with a Larry Kim tweet. The patron saint of internet marketers threw down the gauntlet and wrote that hiring for culture fit is the worst thing you can do.Now here at , were huge fans of company culture. Its been one of our greatest strengths as weve grown. So this felt a bit like a shot across the bow. With that in mind, I responded to Larry Kim, defending our beloved culture fit.And he shot right back. You can see the exchange below (or see the original on Twitter)Seeing how emphatic he welches in his disagreement, I decided to do a little digging to see if I might be missing something. Next thing I knew, my understanding of culture fit welches turned upside down. It slowly dawned on me Larry Kim was onto something.In the process, I realized that job applicants everywhere need to start keeping a keen eye out for people abusing the idea of culture fit. Late r on, Ill share some tips on how to do this.But culture fit is so awesomeHaving worked in places where I felt there was a strong company culture which I fit into as well as places where lets say that wasnt the case (looking at you US House of Representatives), I can say theres a massive difference. Theres the feeling of being part of a team, the joys of going on adventures as a company, and just getting to know your colleagues as an equal.After joining , this feeling was only reinforced. From the start, Ive felt that the company culture here is s greatest asset. Theres an attitude of constructive criticism, optimism, and openness that I genuinely love. So whats the problem with hiring someone who fits into that culture?when its done rightSo the answer to the above question is potentially, a lot. As in how much time do you have?Heres a brief overview. Lars Schmidt explained in Forbes In some organizations culture fit has become a weaponized phrase that interviewers use as a blanket t erm to reject candidates that dont match the hiring managers view of the ideal candidateOften the discrimination is not conscious. Professor Lauren Riviera at Northwesterns Kellogg School of Management points out that Interviewers look for a sense of connection, often seeking potential friends and playmates rather than those with the best work experience or job-relevant skills.Jon-Mark Sabel writing in Hirevue was a bit more blunt about the problem See, its illegal when applicants are screened out based on age, race, and gender but its not illegal to screen them out based on culture. If companys culture just so happens to be young, white, and male, whats to keep them from hiring for culture and screening out women and minorities?Clearly, the right company culture can be a tremendous benefit. But it also has the potential to build toxic, discriminatory monocultures. Question is, what can be done about it?Related articlesThe key to Leanplums epic growth? Company cultureChief Joy Offi cer A secret weapon of a successful businessStop with team building events, try a retreat insteadWhat job applicants can doObviously people doing the actual hiring need to change the way they consider culture fit, but I wanted to give some advice to job applicants regarding what they can do to make sure they dont face discrimination or get hired by a company that uses culture fit in the wrong way.First, do your researchTake a look at the companys blog, social media presence, website, really anywhere with information about them. How do they represent themselves and their values? Is it something limiting like were all into extreme sports or something more inclusive like were dedicated to maintaining a learners mindset in everything we do?Then check out their pictures. Does everyone look like theyre a similar age, race, culture, etc.? If so, it doesnt necessarily mean theyre discriminating in hiring, but its something worth asking about. Speaking of askingNext, ask questionsYou can act ually ask the person in charge of hiring whether they hire for culture fit and what that means to them. This is a great way to begin getting an idea of what a company believes about hiring and whether it might be a good place to work.Alternatively, try asking what the companys employees have in common, what binds them together. You can also try asking what the company is looking to add to or change about their company culture.If, however, you have an idea about what a company is looking to add to its culture before the interview stage, you should try adding elements to your resume to show how you will accomplish this. Go beyond the semanticsGetting back to Larry Kims tweet, while Ive come to fully agree with him on how problematic culture fit can be, I still have a point of contention. Ultimately, I think the culture fit vs culture add debate is overly focused on semantics. Whichever label you use, the substance is what matters. So whatever word you use, make sure company culture is about inclusivity and building a better company. When we put our focus there, everyone wins.Now this Check out our resume examples section that got people hired at their dream jobs.