About cityzen
Founded in 1996, cityzen has evolved over the years from a ‘web design’ shop, to a technology consulting company focused on providing innovative solutions for its clients, by designing, building and maintaining applications.
AWS certified, we seamlessly work within existing environments and leverage our extensive experience to meet the evolving needs of companies with sprawling infrastructure needs.
Is Your Prospective Candidate a Good Culture Fit?
So you've found the *perfect* candidate. Are you sure they will be a good culture fit? Read on to see why that is so important.
What's your favorite hiring memory? Mine is the time I asked a candidate if they played football at the end of their interview. Insight had just started a flag football league (sponsored by Lenovo), and our little finance team was in desperate need of a QB. We were getting crushed in scrimmages, despite probably being one of the youngest, most athletic and most in shape teams. The candidate commented they did play football and were a 'pretty good' QB. They had already nailed the interview at that point, so I said, "If you are willing to play on our flag football team, you're hired."
Turns out he was, in fact, a pretty darn good QB and overall stellar employee. We went on to crush the season and win the Insight Bowl Flag Football Championship. I found a fun reminder of that over the weekend while cleaning out some old boxes.
Don't forget to keep your interviews fun after checking the qualifications boxes. Personality is so important when building a great team, and the last thing you want is someone with a bad vibe that will upend your team. While it's important to strive for a diverse mix of individuals, it's equally important to make sure they can work together.
Keep in mind, "culture fit" does not and should not translate to homogenous. Diversity of ideas, backgrounds, and experiences will strengthen a team. Being a good culture fit means they will be able to adapt and adjust, while also contributing to your team. Maybe your team makes sports games, and a candidate hates all sports, thinking they are a waste of time, probably not the right fit. Does your team love to joke around? Hiring someone with no sense of humor will not be good for anyone.
Lastly, keep in mind that they are more likely to bail on you, once *they* discover this team isn't the kind of place they feel comfortable. Checking for culture fit helps both the candidate and the employer in the long run.
51st Street Locos for life!
Turns out he was, in fact, a pretty darn good QB and overall stellar employee. We went on to crush the season and win the Insight Bowl Flag Football Championship. I found a fun reminder of that over the weekend while cleaning out some old boxes.
Don't forget to keep your interviews fun after checking the qualifications boxes. Personality is so important when building a great team, and the last thing you want is someone with a bad vibe that will upend your team. While it's important to strive for a diverse mix of individuals, it's equally important to make sure they can work together.
Keep in mind, "culture fit" does not and should not translate to homogenous. Diversity of ideas, backgrounds, and experiences will strengthen a team. Being a good culture fit means they will be able to adapt and adjust, while also contributing to your team. Maybe your team makes sports games, and a candidate hates all sports, thinking they are a waste of time, probably not the right fit. Does your team love to joke around? Hiring someone with no sense of humor will not be good for anyone.
Lastly, keep in mind that they are more likely to bail on you, once *they* discover this team isn't the kind of place they feel comfortable. Checking for culture fit helps both the candidate and the employer in the long run.
51st Street Locos for life!