Hiring for Company Culture
You can create the most flexible work environment, offer highly competitive salaries, create ample upskilling opportunities, throw in a Tesla, and top it all off with a free annual trip to Mars; but if you are not hiring for company culture fit, one bad apple could upset the whole cart.
Here are four tips to ascertain whether a Developer is the right fit for your company culture:
1. Look for passion and enthusiasm:
It is important to determine whether the interviewing candidate is enthusiastic about the work they do, the work they would be doing in the prospective job, and the company itself. A lack of passion could lead to boredom, resentment, and, ultimately, leaving the company in search of something more exciting.
There are a few things a candidate can do to show you that they are enthusiastic about their work and about potentially working at your company:
· Showing that they have done their research on your company, your projects, and even looked you up on LinkedIn to find out that you have been working there for the last 6 years.
· Being courteous when scheduling interviews by responding to your emails, thanking you for your time or sending a follow up email after being interviewed.
· Returning your calls if missed.
· Respecting your time by arriving to the interview 5-15 minutes early.
· Talking enthusiastically about their previous experience and being able to explain their involvement in past projects, as well as what they hope to achieve by working at your company.
· Asking you questions about the company and the role.
· Displaying engaging body language such as not crossing their arms, maintaining eye contact, and leaning forward to show interest in what you are saying.
2. Determine what their core values are and whether they align with your company values:
Value alignment is important when it comes to hiring the correct culture fit.
You can determine what somebody’s values are by either asking them directly or asking them a series of questions to better understand them.
Here are a few questions that you can ask to determine what their values are and whether they align with your company values:
· What are the most important things in your life?
· What does a typical weekend look like to you?
· What motivates you in your work?
· How would your friends and family describe you?
· What sort of people do you like to work with?
· How do you handle conflict?
3. Evaluate their willingness to learn:
A willingness to learn is crucial in the Tech environment for several reasons including:
· Building a culture of learning: A culture of learning can foster an environment of creativity, curiosity, and continuous improvement in your team.
· Adapting to change: As tech evolves and changes rapidly, developers need to be willing to adapt to these changes so that your company can evolve with them too.
· Career Development: Developers who are committed to learning can advance their careers through upskilling and taking on new challenges.
· Innovating: Developers who have a willingness to learn are often more innovative and can produce new solutions to problems, and new ideas for projects.
4. Determine whether they pass the "beer" test:
This one is simple; would you go for a beer (or a coffee) with this person?
If you would not sit with this person for an hour and enjoy their company, chances are that your team will not enjoy their company either. It is important that the members of your team can get along to work together, and the beer test could be a good way of determining this.
There are many ways to determine whether someone would be a good fit for your company culture. While the above tips can be useful when interviewing a candidate, there are no fixed rules.
Ultimately, your interaction with them will leave you feeling “yay” or “nay”, and sometimes you just have to follow your gut instinct.
KG
