How do you hire people who fit your company culture?
Capital Ideas members dish on finding the right employees
“To fit my company culture, the best hire is one who shares my vision and mission, holds qualities I don’t possess, and brings a lot more to the table. The most important quality I look for is not being all about the pay cheque, but loving the job and what you do.” — Margaret Adu, president and director of operations at Aomega Lodges (aomegalodges.com)
“We look for talent that shares our values and then find out how they can contribute to them. We believe it’s also very important to give candidates a realistic job preview of what it’s really like to work with us by giving them a tour of their potential work space and having them meet and interact with some of the members of our team in our environment.” — Brandi Bartlett, director of human resources at Quercus Solutions (quercussolutions.com)
“As well as using our gut instinct, we compare our company values with the potential employee during an interview to determine whether this would be a good fit for us and for them.” — Eric Brouet, control centre manager at Savvia Inc. (savvia.com)
“Once a candidate is deemed a great fit technically and professionally, the final step of the DevFacto hiring process involves a group dining room interview to assess cultural fit… Since the majority of what we do is teamwork, the feedback from our employees on each candidate is heavily weighted in the final decision to hire.” — Laura Browning, marketing specialist at DevFacto Technologies (devfacto.com)
“It’s important to first be clear on what my company does, why it does it and how it does it. Next, create the profile of what character, competency and chemistry is needed in that person. Determine the best message to attract such a person and get it out there… Always remember, fit is key; therefore, go for fit over function every time. Hire slow, fire fast. Protect your culture.” — Colin Christensen, principal at SiGNA Strategy and Consulting (colinchristensen.ca)
“It’s important for people to understand your culture and know if their values are well suited to your organization. We clearly identify with and live by our organization’s values, which we find has helped us attract similar clients and staff.” — Michelle Devlin, co-owner of Creating People Power (creatingpeoplepower.ca)
“Finding a suitable employee is not simply about adequate performance. It involves selecting a candidate who also upholds the carefully fostered organizational climate. An employee that doesn’t quite gel can be detrimental to these efforts and can in some cases equate to damaging toxicity in the workplace. To avoid this, [we] use time-saving and objective personality assessments that measure a candidate’s organizational values early in the selection process.” — Mark Fizsimmons, president of Psychometrics Canada (psychometrics.com)
“We conduct a thorough interview to get to know the person first, then look at their education and work experience. They must… have the ability to represent our company’s vision and mission statements in all aspects.” — Daniela Grande-Koren, owner of Silky Skin Laser and Esthetics Centre (silkyskinlaser.com) “I am such a big believer in gut feelings. Usually after an interview you have a good idea as to if that individual will be a fit in your culture. I always say hire for attitude and train for ability.” — Alyson Hodson, partner and director of client services at Zag Creative Group (zagcreativegroup.com)
“You have to know what your culture is before you can hire people that fit it. Take time to put your values on paper before you hire. You may feel the pain of not having someone doing the work, but the pain of the wrong person on your team is worse than working 12 hour days.” — Donloree Hoffman, founder of Donloree Hoffman Consulting (donloree.com)
“I ask the candidate how they would respond in different situations. I also spend time figuring out what that person’s drive is for being employed with me.” — Kevin MacDonald, sounding board at PU Technologies Inc. (putechnologies.tk)
“Post your core values statement in your ad and give them the option to take one of the core values and share a story about how that core value has impacted their life. If they don’t answer the question, you don’t interview them, and the ones that do, you read it over carefully and see if the way they answered fits within your culture.” — Laurie McNaughton, coach at ActionCOACH Business Coaching (actioncoach.com/lauriemcnaughton)
“We ensure multiple, non-traditional interviews with different organizational levels and roles, setting a tone to allow for the real person to express themselves, diving deep into background checks that include cultural components, and using behavioral interviewing where possible. Culture is the hardest to predict but the easiest to assess once the employee is in the organization. When a significant lack of fit is discovered, the next best advice is to make the exit as swift as possible.” — Darryl Moore, vice-president of marketing at Executrade (executrade.com)
“In the design business, my interns are a Godsend. Aside from the key attributes of motivation and creativity, I’m looking for someone who already thinks they are a team player. You quickly discern those who will forever be independent within your framework and those who view your business as a part of their lives. Since creativity and production are integrated at Todoruk Designs, meshing quickly within our model is paramount with the studio schedule. I’m privileged to gain access to fresh talent and observe their interaction with clients and their ability to navigate their skills outside of the classroom.” — Kathleen Todoruk, owner of Todoruk Designs (todoruk.com)
“I have my team interview the candidate as a final step in the interviewing process. This is usually done at a pub in a social setting.” — Catherine Vu, chief uptime officer at Proactive IT (proactiveit.ca)
“You benchmark the job by clarifying key accountabilities, behaviours, motivators, acumen and competencies that will be required. Then you match the talent using assessment tools that will help you find the right person who fits your culture. This takes away bias on hiring and gives you written clarity as to who will best fit your culture.” — Connie Warner, president of National Quality Training Group Inc. (launchingleaders.ca)