How to Video Screen for Company Culture Fit - Workology

How to Video Screen for Company Culture Fit - Workology How do you use Video Screening? Cultural fit is becoming an increasingly important hiring metric for companies from Fortune 500 giants to small-scale startups. More companies are making their hiring decisions the same way we choose close friends or romantic partners, according to a quote by Northwestern professor Lauren Rivera in a recent article in Bloomberg Businessweek. One of the reasons is because many companies see candidates who fit into the company culture as a safer bet when it comes to retention. Since a bad hire can sometimes set a company back as much as $50,000, it makes sense that companies are concerned with hiring the right person the first time out. Using online video to screen candidates is a smart move when it comes to finding job seekers who will fit into your company culture without wasting a lot of time in the hiring process. Here are some good ways to find your Cinderella candidate, the one who fits perfectly in your open position: Know the job One of the best ways to ensure a candidate will fit into the company is to make sure the candidate will first fit the job. Different jobs call for different skill sets. For instance, maybe the job calls for excellent communication skills and the ability to be a team player. Or conversely maybe it calls for someone self-motivated who can take the lead and work independently. Don’t hire a social butterfly just because they’re a great person if what you really need is a lone wolf position. Before looking at a wider company cultural fit, make sure the job seeker fits the needs of the position. Ask about their company culture wishlist In the video interview, whether it’s a one-way video interview or a live video interview, it’s important to find out about your candidate’s ideal company culture. You could ask about the worst company culture they’ve experienced or just ask what would be on their company culture wishlist. Then watch their body language as they respond to the question. In a one-way video interview, the candidate is answering your written questions on camera and therefore doesn’t have the same feedback loop of a traditional interview. In a live video interview, you might be giving them unconscious clues by your nonverbal reactions to their answers, so try to keep a neutral expression. Their answers to these questions can tell you a lot about whether or not they would fit well into your company culture. Are they looking for a chaotic and creative workplace or a place with more rules and order? Make sure to ask these questions before telling them about the company’s organizational environment to ensure you’re getting real answers from the candidate instead of hearing what they think you want to hear. Keep them on their toes More companies are embracing the curveball question in the interview process, because it throws candidates off their internal interview script. A good curveball question can startle a candidate enough to possibly reveal some new dimensions. They’re also good ways to see how well a candidate thinks on their feet and adapts to challenging situations. Use these curveball questions as a way to see if the candidate would fit into your company culture. Even the zaniest questions like “what kind of animal would you be” have important cultural fit components. Look for candidates who can answer even the weirdest curveball questions by representing job-related traits and skills. These people are quick on their feet and liable to adapt to your company culture with ease. Look for diversity One of the drawbacks to hiring for cultural fit can be the tendency to hire people exactly like yourself. Instead of a diverse office with many different viewpoints, you’ll instead end up with a hive mind of people who think the same. This is no way to move your company forward or find your next great idea! In the video interview, look for candidates who can bring something new to the table. Job seekers who are give really interesting and original answers to questions being posed will be the same employees able to think on their feet when a challenge arises. You don’t want an office full of drones, you want creative thinkers and risk takers. So use video screens as a chance to expand your company culture to include different viewpoints and skill sets. Finding a candidate to fit into your company culture can be the best way to ensure your new employee will be motivated and stick around for the long haul. Using video interviews, you can pose the tough questions and find out more about your candidate, so you don’t waste time speaking to people who just don’t fit. How do you use Video Screening? What are some ways you use video screens to find candidates who fit into the company culture? Share in the comments!