You’ve probably heard the phrase that “people are hired for skills but fired for fit.” Matching a candidate with an organization’s working environment or “culture-fitting” has become an essential part of the interview and selection process. While a candidate’s skill sets and expertise are extremely important, Hiring Managers and HR professionals are starting to realize just how vital “culture-fitting” is in order to avoid a costly mismatch or misfit.

Each company has its own unique culture comprised of values, surroundings, management style, delegation of power and authority, decision making latitude, work / life balance, etc. Your company culture will help you to understand what type of candidate to pursue and what questions to ask during the interview process in order to establish if there’s a culture fit.

Here are 5 tips to help you uncover if a candidate is going to fit in:

• Ask for specific examples of previous environments they have worked in and which type of environment they performed the best. For example, if your candidate is highly skilled but performs best when “solo”, they won’t last long if your culture is team-oriented.

• Find out what keeps them coming back to work besides pay. This will give you some insight as to what motivates your candidate and if they would feel inspired working for your company.

• Invite your candidate to participate in group activities or interact with your employees prior to making an offer to test whether they demonstrate those values that are important to your company.

• Ask your candidate about the qualities that he/she feels is most important to the job. If they provide you with a different list of qualities than what your position requires, it’s a red flag situation.

• Inquire as to what they know about your company. A well prepared candidate should already know a few things about your company culture. Let them tell you why they would be a good fit.

Culture-fitting enables you to better determine which candidate is best suited for your company. Keep in mind that it’s no longer just a matter of “Can do” or “Will do” but “Will fit”.