For many organisations now is the opportune moment to increase headcount and develop existing talent pipelines. And who can blame them? With the news that the British economy is continuing to recover, it appears to be the perfect time to take on new staff. After years spent doing ‘more-for-less’ and reducing budgets and expenditure, it’s about time this trend was reversed.  However, doing so will not be easy and it’s not a simple case of posting job adverts to replace lost resources or increase current skills. After all, an organisation’s image is perhaps different now than it was before the global crisis, and it goes without saying that as a result, the talent requirements and company culture will have altered as well.

It’s all too easy for resourcing teams, particularly in the VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous) environment we live in today, to focus on the speed and efficiency of their recruitment strategy. However, it’s crucial for businesses to think hard about what they are looking for before starting the recruitment process.

Successful applicants should not only have the right skills and behaviours, but also fit the organisation’s culture. A poor cultural fit could ultimately lead to reduced morale and productivity, higher attrition and reduced individual and group performance.

It’s crucial, then, to assess cultural fit as part of your resourcing strategy. So how can you ensure a strong cultural fit between employer and employee?

1.       Define: In the first instance, it’s important to understand and define your organisation’s cultural values, so that appropriate applicants can be correctly identified to fit the organisational context.

2.       Be Consistent: You should link your organisation’s values with the competencies you want to measure in successful applicants.

3.       Attract: Take time to review your ‘shop windows’ for applicants and make sure these reflect your values. You must ensure any marketing or contact point with these individuals is in line with your message and values.

4.       Assess: Next you should review your assessment processes to find and implement formal and informal opportunities to reflect and assess your values and culture.

5.       Induct: Finally, remember that this should be an ongoing process. Throughout the on-boarding stage you should be looking to continue to reflect your organisation’s values to help the new employee to settle in quickly and become an effective contributor.

Do you take cultural fit into account when hiring? Let us know by commenting below.