What “Cultural Add” really means in the World of Recruiting (+Why it’s so Important)
For a company to be successful, you need people from all walks of life to come together and bring their strengths and expertise so that your organization is prepared to tackle the challenges that come with a 21st-century economy. This means that diversity is held to a high standard at most firms and is seen as a necessity.
With that said, companies still need a certain level of homogeneity within their employees to assure that their standards of work are kept up and their workplace culture is safe. One way of doing this is by assuring that their hiring for “culture add” along with making sure that their candidates are qualified.
What is “Culture add”?
“Culture add” is a term used to describe people who not only value the company’s standards and workplace culture but also bring an aspect of diversity that positively contributes to your organization. Changing the mindset to “culture add” also helps change the recruiting mindset from “What doesn’t this candidate have?” to “What can this person bring to the table?”.
Is“Culture add” the same as “Culture fit”?
“Culture fit” can be described as how well a candidate is able to conform and adapt to the values and behaviors of the organization. The rise of “culture add” is a direct result of companies rejecting the ideas that “culture fit” stands for. Although it may seem harmless, over the last few years, people have noticed that it has been used as an excuse to bring bias into the hiring process.
This has motivated hiring leaders to make the shift to “culture add” rather than “culture fit”.
How to make sure that candidates are a good “culture add”?
When evaluating candidates, ensuring that they’re a good “culture add” should be one of your top priorities. One way to do this is by adopting a set of recruiting strategies that are good for bringing in talent whose culture would be a good addition to yours. Here are a couple of strategies that are great for bringing in workers that would be a good “culture add”.
- Clearly define your company’s core values
In order to recruit candidates that are a good “culture add”, you first need to make sure that you have a clear understanding of your company’s core values and beliefs, as well as what it expects from its employees so that you don’t end up just adding your own biases to the recruiting process.
Once you have clearly defined your company’s workplace culture, make sure that it’s clear to your hiring team so that you don’t have to worry about any biases interrupting your flow of talent. Once you’ve established your values, make sure that you search for people that not only reflect these values but can also flourish within your company’s culture.
- Reward employee referrals
Getting your current employees to refer candidates is a great way of finding people that are a good “culture add”. Your employees are already aware of the type of person that will get along well with your team, and they will be motivated to refer people that will do well because they know that the person will be a direct representation of them. Take steps to emphasize how vital “culture add” is to your organization then explain that you’re not only looking for candidates that have the necessary skill set, but will also thrive and add to your company’s culture. To give your team more of an incentive, you may want to add a monetary or another type of gift to employees that successfully refer a candidate that ends up being a quality hire.
- Ask interview questions that are related to culture
Another avenue of ensuring that you find candidates that are a good “culture add”, is by asking questions that evaluate their emotional IQ and gives you a better idea if whether or not they’d be right for your organization.
Here are a couple of questions that can be used to evaluate a candidate’s emotional IQ:
- Describe a time when you made a big mistake at work. How did you handle the situation?
- How do your colleagues benefit from working with you?
- How would you handle a coworker who consistently does not pull his weight on group assignments?
- Describe a time when a colleague came to you with a problem. How did you respond?
- How do you build a rapport with your colleagues?
- Tell me about a time when understanding someone else’s perspective helped you accomplish a task or resolve an issue.
- Tell me about a time when you motivated someone to accomplish a task. How did you motivate him or her?
Last thoughts
The last thing you want is to worry about your company falling behind the curb on certain trends, so make sure to dump the term “culture fit” from your workplace and replace it with “culture add” so that you can be sure to reap the rewards of a truly diverse team. Along with that, make sure everyone understands the benefits that come along with it so that you’re sure everyone is on board.