A few months ago, one of my recruiters interviewed a highly qualified candidate for a marketing account manager position. From our longstanding relationship with this client, we knew that they had clients set up so that no single person managed an account independently, and decisions were made on a group basis, not by one individual.
It was because of this knowledge that our recruiter started to have doubts about the candidate midway through the interview. All of his answers were “I” focused–I came up with a great idea, or I made this decision, or I saved the day by stepping in to correct someone else’s mistake. It was never “we,” even when I specifically asked about teamwork. The recruiter knew she had to get a clearer picture of whether this candidate would fit in in such a team-based environment, and she had to do it fast!
Before I explain what the recruiter did in this situation, I must first explain why it’s relevant. A person’s approach to work and their values surrounding work, in general, can dramatically influence whether or not they will thrive in a particular company, regardless of whether they meet all of the technical criteria. Your company culture, which is the set of organizational values and behaviors that define your company, can make or break a new hire’s success. That’s why it’s critical to address it during an interview.
When the candidate kept giving self-centered answers, our recruiter quickly shifted gears from asking him questions to telling him more about the company, specifically the culture. She used direct words like cooperative, team-centric, and collaborative to describe the environment and gave examples illustrating the standard operating procedure of working as a group. As she was talking, she could see his wheels spinning. It was no surprise when, less than 24 hours later, the candidate emailed to let us know he didn’t think the role was a fit for him.
This was a good thing! While there’s nothing wrong with preferring independent work, someone who has trouble collaborating would be decidedly unhappy with this company, and we were glad to learn of the misalignment before we submitted the candidate. Here, I’ll share tips to help you do the same, ensuring that you convey your workplace culture clearly and effectively during interviews to make more accurate hires.
Why Conveying Company Culture Is More Important Than Ever
At a time when the job market is uncertain at best, and the talent pool is still fiercely competitive in many sectors, company culture can determine not only your ability to hire but your organization’s very livelihood. If you’re not communicating the right information to candidates, this could harm your chances of hiring the right person and pose a threat to your team’s performance.
Research shows that a sense of “fitting in” plays heavily into an employee’s level of job satisfaction, which can impact how successful they are in their first few months and how long they stay with the company. Company culture defines this sense of belonging. Identifying a strong fit–and, conversely, flagging potential mismatches–will help you strengthen your hiring process and increase new hire success.
The steps I’ve described below should help you accurately describe your culture and infuse elements into the interview process to decide better whether an applicant is an appropriate fit.
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Words to Describe Company Culture
When discussing your company culture, having a few standard words and phrases to describe it is helpful. Not only does this aid in conveying your thoughts succinctly, but it also helps ensure consistency when you’re implementing initiatives and creating recruitment marketing materials.
It’s important to communicate both the positive aspects of your culture, like flexibility and inclusiveness, and those that some candidates may perceive negatively, like whether your work is highly deadline-driven. This will help ill-fitting candidates opt out.
Consider these words and phrases to incorporate as you describe your unique culture.
Describing a collaborative culture
- Connected
- Cooperative
- Engaging
- Inclusive
- Prioritizes communication
- Supportive
- Team-based
Describing a culture that values independence
- Accountability
- Autonomous
- Empowering
- Self-starters
- Taking ownership
Describing a technology-centric culture
- Adaptable
- Agile
- Cutting edge
- Forward-thinking
- Innovative
- Nimble
- Progressive
- Visionary
Describing a high-pressure environment
- Ambitious
- Challenging
- Deadline driven
- Demanding
- Exciting work
- Fast-paced
- Never a dull moment
- Results-oriented
- Rewarding
- Stimulating
Describing a casual work environment
- Flexible
- Friendly
- Inviting
- Laid back
- Sociable
- Welcoming
- Work-life balance
Describing a formal work environment
- Dignified
- Established
- Integrity
- Professional
- Reputable
- Respectful
- Structured
- Traditional
- Trustworthy
How to Convey Culture in an Interview
1. Start before the interview
It’s shocking how many companies rave about their unique culture but use bland, generic language on their applications, scheduling emails, and other candidate-facing communications. Start conveying your workplace personality from the candidate’s very first interaction by tailoring the materials they see when they apply and prepare for their interview.
Fill the Careers page of your website with messaging that explains what sets you apart, and be sure to update it regularly with the latest information for job seekers. Designate a section of your job descriptions specifically to discuss what it’s like to work for you. Enlist a copywriter to infuse your automated email messages and other application follow-ups with your distinct voice. You can even convey culture through the hold music and scripted messages you use on your office’s phone system.
Wherever possible, avoid using cookie-cutter language that comes preprogrammed in your software programs or has been copied and pasted from somewhere else. Instead, customize every piece of messaging an applicant sees to align with the way people in your company actually communicate with one another.
2. Be specific
Don’t just tell candidates what it’s like to work for you. Go into the interview prepared with specific anecdotes that encapsulate your culture. Did one of your teams come together to raise money for a cause they care about? Maybe an employee went above and beyond in a major way to solve a customer’s problem. These are the kinds of colorful, super-specific examples of culture that will stick in a candidate’s mind and sell what sets you apart.
One great way to do this is by involving your employees. Ask them to share anecdotes that capture what they like most about working for the company. You can also mine your positive reviews on sites like Glassdoor for example. Use these real-world experiences to paint a picture of what a day in the life at your company actually looks like.
This exercise is also a good litmus test of your honesty with yourself and candidates regarding your culture. Say you value creative thinking, but you have trouble coming up with clear examples to support this. It might be time to reconsider that particular quality as part of your company values (or start taking steps to prioritize it!).
3. Build it into the interview
You’re probably already using some standardized format for conducting interviews (and if you’re not, you should be!). Talking about company culture should be part of the lineup.
For my team, here’s how that might look when conducting a 45-minute interview:
Introduction: 5 minutes
Skill questions: 10 minutes
Behavioral questions: 10 minutes
Personality questions: 10 minutes
Culture discussion: 5 minutes
Q&A: 5 minutes
If you use an interview scorecard or checklist, add your culture discussion as a line item to check off on it so you can be sure it’s something you cover with every candidate. A little later in this post, we’ll share examples of culture statements to help you dive into this part of the conversation.
4. Introduce the team
Team members can only convey a partial representation of your workplace culture. That’s why it’s important, whenever possible, to allow candidates to meet with more than just their hiring manager. Set up times for applicants to connect with other staffers—their peers, their team lead, the people who would be their direct reports, and so on.
Suppose you have a regularly scheduled non-work meetup, like a happy hour or game night (which is an important step in engaging employees). In that case, this is another great opportunity to gauge the culture fit of late-stage applicants. Extend an invitation for your top pick to join the get-together to get a feel for how they mesh with the team.
Related: Collaborative Hiring: How to Involve Your Employees
5. Offer ample opportunity for Q&A
It’s standard practice to allow candidates to ask questions at the end of an interview, but time constraints and professional norms will usually limit them to just one or two queries. However, when presented with a new job opportunity, most of us think of additional questions once we’ve had a bit of time to digest the interview.
To settle on the best fit, make sure all of your top candidates’ questions are fully answered by offering them multiple opportunities to chat with you beyond the interview. Check-in at every stage of the hiring process to see if there are any question marks in their minds, and if there are, address them.
Don’t beat around the bush to try to assess how they feel about culture fit. Ask specifically about their thoughts on their ideal place to work and how they feel they would fit in at your organization. This is more important than you might expect—if you leave the topic of company culture undiscussed, it’s highly likely to resurface later in the form of issues or complaints.
6. Follow up
After the interview ends, continue the conversation by giving the candidate additional ways to learn about your company culture. You could invite them to follow you on social media, email them an engaging PDF highlighting your mission statement, or text them a testimonial video from happy employees. This is also a great way to continue nurturing a positive relationship with candidates whether or not they ultimately end up working for you–an important step in building a talent pipeline.
Examples of Company Culture Statements
Example #1
“We believe work should be collaborative, energizing, and enjoyable. Our team members thrive on strong connections, both personally and professionally. We work hard but make time to celebrate success, build relationships, and have fun along the way. From frequent team lunches to casual Fridays, we strive to create an inclusive environment where everyone feels welcome.”
Example #2
“We pride ourselves on maintaining the highest standards of professionalism and integrity. With more than five decades of experience in our industry, we’ve developed a strong reputation of trust and transparency among clients, partners, and team members. Our culture is centered on respect, accountability, and excellence. An environment of continuous learning ensures that every team member has the resources they need to succeed.”
Example #3
“Innovation is at the heart of everything we do. We’re driven by the excitement of solving complex problems using cutting-edge technology and creative approaches. We encourage out-of-the-box thinking, embrace experimentation, and constantly push the boundaries of what’s possible. Every team member is empowered to challenge the status quo, which keeps work engaging and shapes the future of our industry.”
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