How to Hire for Culture Fit

by Susan Keane Baker

Do you think this ever happens?

Manager to job applicant: “What do you know about our organization?”

Applicant: “Well, uh, let’s see now. I know you have a nice lobby. And great benefits. And, uh, I really want to help people.”

Manager: “Okay, well our mission is….. And our values are ….. And the person who is hired for this position will be someone who is……”

Help individuals decide whether they are a good fit for your organization before they request or submit an application. Franciscan Health System (www.fshhealth.org) does it well. Their 9-minute video provides information on the mission, vision, values and culture of Franciscan:

Click the photo to take you to the video page.

Your process to help potential applicants qualify themselves doesn’t have to be a video. It could be a document to read or a self-assessment checklist to complete. Whatever method you use, consider closing your information with something like this:

“You have now learned about our mission and values, about what will be expected of you in terms of dress code, teamwork and continuous quality improvement. If you feel that you are a good fit for our organization, we invite you to request an application. If however, we are not the best fit for you at this time, we wish you all the best in your future endeavors.”

Craft a manager’s interview guide to cement the process. Your guide could include questions such as:

• Have you reviewed our information about what we do, why we do it, and how to be successful working here?
• Please tell me what you learned about our dress code.
• How easy will it be for you to follow the dress code consistently?
• Tell me about a time when you did something for a patient that demonstrated respect?
• When you learned that one of our values is compassion, what did that mean to you?