How much weight should be placed on culture fit in hiring? Ask Johnny

Johnny C. Taylor Jr. tackles your workplace questions each week for USA TODAY. Taylor is president and CEO of SHRM, the world's largest trade association of human resources professionals, and author of “Reset: A Leader’s Guide to Work in an Age of Upheaval.”

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Question: When evaluating job candidates, how much weight should HR and hiring managers place on “culture fit,” compared to skills, experience, and performance potential? – Adrian

Answer: Culture fit can be one of the most valuable filters in the hiring process, but it depends on something many organizations overlook: cultural clarity. Before you can determine whether someone fits your culture, you must first be able to clearly define it.

A strong culture isn’t about personalities, shared interests, or who would be most enjoyable to have lunch with. It’s about the behaviors, expectations, and standards that drive success.

Organizations must be able to clearly articulate who they are, what they value, and what it’s like to work there ‒ that’s cultural clarity. Too often, I see companies try to imitate another organization’s culture instead of being honest about their own. But culture isn't about being like someone else. I often say, there’s no such thing as good or bad culture (save for those that are immoral, unethical, or illegal). There’s simply culture. And it’s the employer’s responsibility to define it clearly and authentically from the outset.

This starts as early as the interview process. When an organization has cultural clarity, candidates can be assessed against those values. At the same time, candidates are empowered to determine for themselves whether the organization’s culture aligns with their own values, work style, and career aspirations. 

But cultural alignment alone isn’t enough. Ultimately, every hire should create value equal to or exceeding the investment the company makes in hiring, developing, and compensating them. That’s the new employee value equation: Do they add value, and are they culturally aligned?

This means competency still matters. Organizations should never compromise on the baseline knowledge, skills, and abilities required for success. But technical skills can be developed, expertise can be strengthened, and new systems can be learned. Power skills such as accountability, adaptability, sound judgment, curiosity, and a willingness to operate in accordance with the organization's values are much harder to teach.

That’s why the best hiring decisions look beyond whether a candidate can do the job perfectly on day one. They assess whether the person has the foundation to grow, contribute, and create value over time. Someone with strong potential, the right mindset, and cultural alignment will often outperform a candidate who checks every technical box but struggles to succeed within the organization.

The views and opinions expressed in this column are the author's and do not necessarily reflect those of USA TODAY.