Building a successful company is like putting together a puzzle: If a piece is in the wrong place, it doesn’t work. While the importance of training, education and experience level are often recognized, a lot of hiring managers fall short when it comes to hiring new people who fit into the office culture correctly, attempting instead to cram in a puzzle piece that just doesn’t fit.
 
No matter how much you may want to fight against terms like, “company mission statement” and “workplace culture” they do exist, and to the new generation of workers, finding the right office culture is extremely important. Long hours, working lunches and early meetings mean teams need to not only coexist with each other, but be able to thrive together and complement each other’s strengths. Let’s be honest; in America, the average working adult spends more waking hours with their coworkers than their spouses. This isn’t to insinuate that you need to hire a group of best friends. In fact, that’s the mistake hiring managers often make on the opposite end of the spectrum. Instead of hiring people who don’t fit together, they hire the carbon copies of themselves to fill every role. That creates the problem of lack of diversity. Without diversity, there will be fewer new ideas and less room for company growth or improvement.
 
Hiring For Your Office Culture
 
What is the key to hiring diverse employees that mesh well with company culture?
Workers will have different ways of identifying and addressing problems.
For example: a Type A person in charge of closing a new deal may be more focused getting the business, while a Type B person may be more focused on the client experience.
The Type A person may be able to provide them with a business pitch that makes it hard for the client to say no.
The Type B person may provide a client with engagement and offer personal connection that makes them want to continue to work with the company.
While this team may butt heads from time to time, it can be a winning combination.
The culture aspect comes when you debate hiring two different people who may have nearly identical experience and abilities.
You have to think about the company situation and the candidate situation.
 
Questions to ask yourself
Does the first candidate work better solo, while the second works better in groups?

Is the position very team oriented? Is your company?

Does the candidate’s working style fit into the office culture?

Will they try to cut out other coworkers on team assignments, because they prefer to work alone?

Will they lack encouragement to finish work because they are the type of worker who needs constant direction?

Will constant direction and micromanagement drive them crazy?
Are they more comfortable leaving a company where they are a big fish in a small pond to be a small fish in a big pond (or vise versa)?
Are they used to coming and going as they please, but your company keeps strict office hours?
 
Hiring For Your Office Culture
 
The number one tip for both employers and job seekers? 
Be honest!
It may sound crazy, but it’s true. If you know that 90 percent of the work will be teamwork let the candidate know.
If you can’t deal with a supervisor who likes to keep a close tab on your day to day activities, then be honest about that. If you lie about liking to work closely with your supervisor and that you work better in a collaborative environment when you really prefer working on your own, you are only hurting yourself and wasting your own time.
Yes, that may be what the interviewer wants to hear and what lands you the job but chances are you will be miserable at the position because it isn’t right for you.
Worst-case scenario: you don’t get the job because it’s a bad fit. Best-case scenario: the manager really likes you and finds a better-suited position for you in the company.
Finding the ideal employees for your office culture may seem like a hard task but really you just need to observe your staff and office practices.
Select the wrong pieces and you will just have a big mess. Select the right pieces and your puzzle will make a beautiful picture.
 
Dia Darling is a Digital Marketing Specialist with the Communications team at esd & associates, specializing in social media management and advertising.