“My interview with the line manager went very well – I Knew everything he asked me now that there is this interview for evaluating my fit with the company…what the heck, is , that??”


“I don’t know what happened, my interview went great I had all the skills , answered all questions but they rejected me citing that I don’t fit into the company’s culture!!”

I am sure if you haven’t gone through the above situations (thank your stars for that !!) you must have heard or observed such experience through your social network. In this article of mine I plan to demystify what companies mean by candidate fit during a hiring process and articulate some principles which are knowingly or unknowingly followed.

Recruiting an employee is similar to allowing a stranger to join your inner circle of network ( as an organization is nothing but a social network working towards economic benefits). Hence in addition to the tangible details about this stranger – in the case of hiring things like skills, experience, education – you would want to evaluate his attitude towards life ; likes & dislikes ; family. These factors help you judge if you would like to spend time with this stranger and trust him/her.


Extending this parallel to organizations , a similar evaluation of personality and attitude is done to determine if the candidate would “FIT” into the firm DNA. There are two types of fit that a hiring manager looks out for :

1.       Role fit – determines if the candidate “fits” into the roles and responsibilities that the job entails. In all the examples I have taken the assumption is that the short-listed candidates meet the tangible skills and qualifications required for the job, it is their role fit that will determine the hiring decision.
a.       Scenario 1: Company needs a JAVA developer for a 2 year project starting within a month at a salary 15% higher than it’s competition ; Shortlisted candidate has 4 years JAVA experience, was promoted twice in his last company, wants to lead a team within a year.

Q. Given the assumption that the candidate has cleared all rounds of interviews would you hire him/her?

My Answer. No – The candidate is not hired as h/s doesn’t fit 100% but fits more than that.I run a very high risk of the candidate getting bored and uninterested in the job soon and I will have a disgruntled super achiever in a role which was never for him. The role is such that it will grow in the next two years as the project is just starting and I ideally need somebody who can learn and develop simultaneously with the job whereas this candidate has already done it all. Hence I should look at someone who meets 80% of the requirements that I have advertised.

Rule 1: For a job ,that has scope for learning and development of the role holder AND doesn’t demand immediate results hire a candidate who fits 80-90% with the role.


b.       Scenario 2 – Company needs a Marketing Manager for an ailing region which has recently posted its biggest loss ever and is ready to negotiate compensation. Candidate A has 8 years experience with a rival firm in a similar region but doesn’t have great education vs a candidate B with 6 years experience in a different region and a MBA from good Business school .

Q. Given the assumption that both the candidates have cleared all rounds of interviews who would you hire?

My Answer. Candidate A – the job demands instant results else it might affect attrition , costs , revenues hence I would hire the person who has delivered on the same tasks rather than hire the person who would need a learning curve.


Rule 2: For a job that demands immediate results hire a candidate who fits100% with the role.


c.       Scenario 3 – Company is opening a branch office in a new country for establishing its footprints. Candidate A - Internal candidate who has spent 10 years marked with promotions and achievements, has delivered great on assigned targets, performs the best under clear direction ; Candidate B – External candidate with 15 years exp having similar achievements , has always worked in new projects , has shown tangible results in ambiguous settings. The advertised job demands 10 years min experience from the candidate.


 Q. Given the assumption that both the candidates have cleared all rounds of interviews who would you hire?

My Answer. Candidate B – the growth of the company in the new region will be directly affected by this position holder’s ability to drive results , plan for the future , cut beyond ambiguity and provide direction. Candidate A meets 100% of the job requirements but this kind of a role demands more than 100% to show development. Hence I would hire candidate B.


Rule 3 : For a job that determines a company’s growth (in a new region , product , business) hire someone who exceeds the job expectations. Hire the candidate who fits more than 100%.

2.       Organization fit – determines if the candidate is in sync with the organization’s way of working. I would not be able to categorize this type of fit as there are numerous factors to be taken into account while determining organization fit. Listed below are a few scenarios which will explain this type in detail.

a.       Pace of work : the shortlisted candidate is coming from a small firm where he could dictate the pace of work , where h/s had established authority. Your firm is a big corporate firm with written down processes. In this case the interviewer needs to keenly examine the readiness of the candidate to face the 360 deg turnaround workplace.

b.       Authority at work : The authority that the title / position brings is a formal authority but every role has a derived/induced authority on account of its proximity to “action levers” of an organization ( can be senior management ; can be employees highly regarded due to their longevity). It is important to make a note of the difference in derived authority between a candidate’s last job and the prospective one. If the difference is too large probe further.

c.       Reporting relationship: As the saying goes “employees don't leave their job or company, they leave their boss,” make sure you make a note of who was the candidate reporting to earlier ( seniority , age , experience) and how different is the new boss going to be.

To add a word of caution : no candidate will ever meet all the fit requirements , deviations will always be there. What is important to evaluate is which deviations are negotiable for the candidate and which are not. For this the employer has to be truthful about all job aspects – boss , culture , challenges – with the candidates.

Happy hiring!