Recruiting managers use culture fit interview questions to assess how you as a new employee will fit in with the team and the company.

In a previous update we highlighted that the most important things to do in any job interview are to answer these three key questions:

1. Can you do what you have said you have done in your CV?
2. Can you do the job that you are being interviewed for?
3. Will you fit in well with the team and the company?

In this update we will expand on the third question - Will you fit in well with the team and the company?

Companies implement a cultural fit recruitment process because of the real risk of potential mismatches between you, as a new employee, and the shared values and underlying behaviours of the recruiting company.

Although you may look impressive with the right skills and experience, recruiting managers may be concerned that you aren't a good cultural fit. Behavioural interview questions such as “What kind of environment do you work best in?” are very helpful to determine if you as candidate have the required behavioural traits to fit in well with the team and the company.

There are a number of considerations to keep in mind:

• Be prepared to answer questions about your suitability with your personality and work environment preference.
• Keep in mind that there are no right or wrong answers for culture fit interview questions. If you know your personal values well, just answer each question with what values, behaviors, and norms suit you best.
• Take the time to use the Career GPS to identify your work values and what kind of environment you work best in.

Here are three simple steps to clearly demonstrate that will fit in well with the team and the company during your interview:

1. Ensure that you are familiar with the values of the company, which are often on the website or in the reception area. Refer to some of these values specifically during your answers to demonstrate your cultural fit.
2. When you have the opportunity to ask questions, you need to probe the company's fit with your personality and work environment preferences.
3. Ask questions that will help you to assess what the underlying team dynamics are and how it aligns with the company culture.

In our final update on this topic, we will include some valuable information to assist you in getting an offer of employment, and how to close the interview off in a strong and conclusive way.

Travel safely!

Charles van Heerden