How important is culture-fit?

It is not strange to see organizations these days choosing ‘culture-fit’ as one of the main parameters for hiring an employee. Be it a popular company like Google or a flourishing Indian start-up like Zomato, more and more companies want to take people who fit into the organization’s culture. They are of the opinion that it is very important for the new hires to like their external environment and also like the people they work for and work with. A company like Zomato can be called a unique company to an extent which has its own unique demands. It thrives and continues to grow because of the quality of its people. They don’t hire for roles. They hire for people. People who are creative thinkers. Because that is what companies are looking for these days. Employees who can think out-of-the-box. That is why they hire passionate people who fit in the best with the culture of the organization. This hiring practice in turn has found a solution to one of the age-old problems of the business world and that is switching between industries. While a few years back it was unusual to hear someone switching industries after working in one sector for a span of 4-5 years, start-ups like Zomato are facilitating this movement and attracting talent from different fields to increase diversity in the organization.

If we go global we have companies like Google, which consistently features in the list of one of the best places to work at. This however didn’t happen overnight, says Liane Hornsey, VP, People Operations, Google. They ensured that they hired the best people for Google who were not only good at what they did but along with being creative thinkers and innovators they would also fit into the organization. That Liane believes is of vital importance for them. What Google does is that it takes into consideration the opinion of all those employees who would get directly affected by a particular hire. They recruit a candidate only when they can reach a consensus on that decision. So typically a candidate has to go through 7-8 rounds of interview for Google before they can make it into the organization. The success mantra of Google is that they hire people who believe in ‘shared goals’. They believe that they can get the best out of the people if they are willing to work not for their own selves but are dedicated towards the organization and their fellow employees.