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Maintaining and nurturing a strong culture becomes increasingly important as you grow, and hiring candidates who align with your values is crucial for long-term success. The Culture Interview is designed to evaluate whether a candidate not only has the skills and experience for the job but also embodies the qualities and values that will help them thrive in your company.
Don’t let anyone tell you that culture isn’t important. Employees who feel connected to your company’s culture are more engaged, work harder, and stay longer. This is particularly crucial for startups, where employee retention is vital. It can cost around a third of an employee’s salary to hire, train, and bring their productivity levels up to par, so ensuring that new hires fit your culture from the start is an investment that pays off.
Here’s how to conduct a Culture Interview, which will help you find candidates who not only fit in but also contribute positively to your organization.
Defining Your Company Culture
Before assessing whether a candidate is an excellent cultural fit, you must clearly understand your company culture. This may seem straightforward, but defining and articulating your culture can become challenging as your team grows. If you already have multiple people on your team and are struggling to pinpoint your culture, try this exercise:
The Sticky Note Exercise:
1. Gather Your Team: Bring everyone together in a room.
2. Set a Timer: Give each person 2–5 minutes with a pad of sticky notes to write down everything they believe embodies the culture of your venture.
3. Collect and Organize: At the end of the exercise, post all the sticky notes on the wall, overlapping similar ideas.
4. Identify Core Values: Your top 3–5 piles will define your company’s culture and highlight the qualities you’re looking for in new candidates.
This exercise helps you identify your core values and ensures that everyone on the team has a shared understanding of what your culture truly represents.
Pro Tip: Revisit this exercise periodically, especially as your team grows, to ensure your culture evolves with your organization.
Structuring the Culture Interview
Once you’ve defined your culture, it’s time to structure the interview in a way that allows you to evaluate whether a candidate aligns with your core values. The Culture Interview is less about assessing skills and more about understanding how a candidate thinks, behaves, and reacts in different situations.
Recommended Structure:
1. Introduction (2–3 minutes): Start by introducing yourself, your role, and a brief overview of the company’s culture. Share the core values you’ve identified and explain why they are important to your team.
2. Behavioral Questions (15–20 minutes): Ask open-ended questions that prompt the candidate to share experiences related to your core values. These questions should encourage them to provide specific examples of how they’ve demonstrated similar values in their past roles.
3. Probing Questions (10–15 minutes): Use follow-up questions to dig deeper into their answers. This helps you understand their motivations, thought processes, and whether they genuinely embody the values you’re looking for.
4. Candidate’s Questions (5–10 minutes): Allow the candidate to ask questions about your company’s culture. Their questions can reveal a lot about what they prioritize and whether they’re genuinely interested in being a part of your team.
Asking the Right Questions: Exploring Cultural Fit
One of the most effective ways to assess a candidate’s cultural fit is to create questions based on your values. For each core value, make a situational question that begins with “Could you tell me about a time when…” This approach allows candidates to share real experiences that reveal whether they align with your company’s culture.
Example Questions:
• If adaptability is a core value: “Could you tell me about a time when you were given a task outside of your job description? How did you handle it?”
• If teamwork is essential: “Could you tell me about a time when you worked with a difficult team member? How did you approach the situation?”
• If innovation is valued: “Could you tell me about a time when you came up with a creative solution to a problem? What was the outcome?”
Pro Tip: Keeping your questions open-ended and starting with “Could” gives the candidate a sense of control, making them more likely to share honest and detailed responses.
Using the ‘What, How, & Tell Me More’ Technique
As with other stages of the interview process, the ability to probe deeper is essential in the Culture Interview. When a candidate answers your questions, follow up with:
• “What do you mean by that?”
• “How did that make you feel?”
• “Tell me more about that particular situation.”
This technique encourages candidates to provide more context, helping you understand their motivations, thought processes, and how they approach different situations. It’s a powerful way to uncover whether they’ve genuinely internalized the values they’re describing or if they’re giving you a rehearsed answer.
Pro Tip: Be patient with silence. Don't rush to fill the silence if you ask a probing question and the candidate hesitates. Nine seconds is typically the longest two people will stay silent when one owes the other an answer. Let the candidate be the first to break the silence, as this often leads to more thoughtful and revealing responses.
Identifying Red Flags During the Culture Interview
The Culture Interview isn’t just about finding candidates who align with your values—it’s also about identifying those who might disrupt your team’s dynamic or who don’t genuinely share your vision. Pay close attention to red flags indicating the candidate isn’t the right fit.
Common Red Flags:
• Inability to Provide Specific Examples: Candidates who can’t provide concrete examples of how they’ve demonstrated your core values may not truly embody those qualities.
• Negative Attitudes Toward Previous Employers or Colleagues: This suggests they may struggle with collaboration or have difficulty maintaining positive relationships in the workplace.
• Inconsistent Behavior: If a candidate’s responses don’t align with the qualities they claim to possess, it’s a sign they might not be as genuine as they appear.
Pro Tip: If a candidate raises too many red flags, don’t hesitate to end the process early. It’s better to move on than risk bringing in someone who could negatively impact your culture.
Evaluating Cultural Fit: Beyond the Interview
The Culture Interview is a valuable tool for assessing whether a candidate aligns with your company’s values, but it shouldn’t be the only factor you consider. Discuss your impressions with other team members who have interacted with the candidate and evaluate whether they felt the individual would be a positive addition to the team.
Questions to Ask Yourself and Your Team:
• Did the candidate demonstrate examples that align with our core values?
• Did they seem genuinely interested in and excited about our culture?
• Would we feel comfortable working with this person every day?
Final Thoughts: Building a Culture-Driven Team
The Culture Interview is essential in ensuring that every new hire contributes positively to your company’s environment. By focusing on whether candidates embody your core values, you’ll build a team that shares a common vision and drives your company’s success.
Key Takeaways:
• Define Your Culture: Use the sticky note exercise to identify the core values that define your company.
• Ask Open-Ended Questions: Create questions that prompt candidates to share real experiences related to your values.
• Use Probing Techniques: Dig deeper into their answers to uncover genuine insights into how they think and behave.
• Identify Red Flags: Be vigilant about inconsistencies or attitudes that don’t align with your culture.
By integrating a culture-focused approach into your hiring process, you’ll be well on your way to building a team of A-players who are excited to come to work, engage with your mission, and contribute to a thriving, dynamic company environment.
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