Some companies have a flat power structure where all employees are seen as equals. While roles dictate their level of responsibility, the work environment allows any staff member to speak up and volunteer their ideas or skills. If a candidate works better in a more hierarchal workplace, then they would not be a good cultural fit.

Common Cultural Fit Interview Questions:

  1. Do you prefer working in a team or alone? Why?
  2. What are your feelings towards taking work home with you?
  3. How do you respond to negative criticism from a supervisor or coworker?
  4. What do you identify as the biggest causes of stress in your current work environment?
  5. What about our company's culture appeals to you most?
  6. How would you respond to a coworker in a less senior position providing you with criticism?
  7. Do you feel comfortable with becoming friends with coworkers? How has this affected your professional relationships?
  8. Have you experienced conflict with a coworker in the past? How did you deal with it?
  9. How comfortable are you with giving a more senior coworker constructive criticism?
  10. How do you maintain a good professional relationship with a coworker when you have opposing values or beliefs?

Next Steps:

Looking for additional questions? We have listed common interview questions and we also have questions specific to dozens of common jobs.

FAQs:

What is a cultural fit interview question?

A cultural fit interview question is designed to see if a candidate fits the social work environment and if they can thrive within your organization's structure.

How do you prepare for a cultural fit interview?

Candidates can prepare for cultural fit interview by researching the company and reading about its goals, outreach programs, and approach to hierarchy. From this, a candidate can find links to their own values and work preferences.

What is a cultural fit?

A cultural fit is when an employee thrives in their work environment because they share the same goals and values as the company. Cultural fit also refers to how well a candidate works in an environment with certain power structures, such as linear power structures, a hierarchal power structure, or a middle ground between the two.

How do you evaluate cultural fit?

You can evaluate cultural fit by asking a candidate about their response to conflict situations, what their preferences for teamwork or individual work are, and what their boundaries are in the workplace.

How important is cultural fit?

Cultural fit is incredibly important because if a candidate does not share your company's values or goals, they will not be able to contribute passionately. If a candidate struggles to work with a strict power structure, then they will not feel comfortable and will not perform to their full potential.

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