Ken Chase 
Make sure you're prepared to answer common cultural fit interview questions to ace your next job interview
Job candidates who are getting ready to interview with a prospective employer often spend a great deal of time preparing to answer questions about their skills and experiences. That's to be expected, of course, since you want to make the best possible impression and sell yourself as the most qualified person for the position. However, it's also important to recognize that employers may ask several cultural fit interview questions too, to see how well you'll fit in.
In this post, we'll examine the concept of cultural fit and consider some of the reasons why it matters to today's companies. In addition, we'll examine 16 of the top company culture interview questions you may encounter in your next interview and provide tips that can help you to prepare for these types of questions.
What is cultural fit?
Every company has its own unique culture, embodying the firm's vision, values, goals, and overall business mindset. While companies have many written plans and policies that help to define these cultural components, the broader culture always includes many unwritten practices, rules, and attitudes too. Basically, a company's culture encompasses everything its leaders, managers, and employees believe and do, within the context of the work environment and in its interactions with vendors, customers, and other stakeholders.
Cultural fit is a term that simply describes how well an individual's personal values, goals, and mindset align with a company's culture. If a company is focused on shared sacrifice or environmentalism and your personal ideals include different perspectives, you may not be a good fit for them. On the other hand, if you're a team player who prioritizes a collaborative approach to putting customers first, you may be a very good fit for a company that shares those values.
Why do employers ask company cultural fit interview questions?
It's not difficult to understand why most companies would prefer to hire individuals who are already a great cultural fit for their organizations. Operating a business is a challenging endeavor even in the best of circumstances, but imagine how difficult it would be to operate that same business if the employees all had values and goals that were at odds with the company's culture.
Of course, hiring employees who are a good cultural fit for the company can provide other benefits as well. For example:
Improved employee engagement
Employees who feel comfortable in their work environment and share the organization's values and goals tend to be more engaged in their job roles. They work harder, demonstrate greater confidence in their place within the organization, and perform at higher levels than employees who lack that shared commitment to the company's culture.
Better employee retention
Company culture can be a major factor in determining whether some employees choose to stay with their employers or look for other jobs. Employees who feel like they are aligned with their employers' mission and overall culture will feel more connected to their company and enjoy greater workplace happiness. That can lead to improved retention rates for those companies, and less time spent locating and training replacement workers.
Enhanced teamwork
When employee goals and beliefs are aligned with their workplace culture and their colleagues, team cohesion can be more easily managed. They will be more effective at setting aside personal differences and working collaboratively to pursue their shared goals. This can lead to improvements in performance and productivity and spark creativity and innovation.
Greater productivity
Of course, productivity deserves its own mention here since cultural fit can directly impact any employee's ability to be productive in their job. When employees feel out of place, they can eventually come to see their workplace as a toxic environment. That can cause productivity to plummet – leading to a vicious cycle of increased dissatisfaction and declining performance.
More effective communication
A culturally-aligned workforce will often be inspired to foster open communication. After all, shared goals and visions make it easier to collaborate as a team, and collaboration requires effective communication. It's just easier to communicate when you know that everyone on your team prioritizes the same values and company mission.
16 cultural fit interview questions you should be prepared to answer
Now that you understand why companies ask these work culture interview questions, you need to ensure that you're prepared to answer them in your own interview. Of course, you can never predict exactly which questions you're going to encounter, but you can prepare for some of the most common. We've compiled 16 common cultural fit interview questions below, as well as some tips to help you answer them effectively.
1. “Can you describe your impression of our company culture?”
This question is designed to test your knowledge of the company's culture. Make sure that you take time to do your research and learn as much as you can before your interview, since the employer will be looking to see how well your expectations align with reality. You can often find information that highlights a company's culture on its website, social media pages, and press releases or other news coverage.
2. “If you could start a business, what would it be?”
This is one of those cultural fit interview questions that employers can use to gain insight into your ideal work environment. You can answer it by focusing on a business that would allow you to use the same skills you would use at the interviewer's company. For bonus points, try to describe a hypothetical company culture that matches your prospective employer's business environment.
3. “Tell me about your dream job.”
It is always a good idea to answer this question with a response that suggests that you're already applying for the right job. For example, if you are applying for a Marketing Director position, your answer should describe a job role similar to the one you're seeking at the interviewer's firm. This will help the interviewer to see that you're right where you're supposed to be.
4. “How do you deal with conflict in the workplace?”
Companies with positive workplace cultures are always interested in maintaining a harmonious environment. You can demonstrate your conflict management and resolution skills by citing an example of a time when you experienced conflict at a previous employer's workplace. Describe the challenge, how you dealt with the problem, and the positive results that your conflict resolution skills produced.
5. “Describe your communication style.”
When answering this question, you should try to highlight communication skills that align with what you know about the company's culture. In most cases, you'll want to emphasize skills that demonstrate your ability to collaborate with others, provide and seek help when needed, and remain open to others' ideas and opinions. Those abilities and a team-focused mindset will help to make a strong impression on any hiring manager.
6. “What motivates you at work?”
By asking about your motivations, the interviewer will be trying to get more insight into the type of workplace environment you prefer. Fortunately, this is another one of those cultural fit interview questions that you can use to show that your work style fits the company's needs. Focus on tailoring your answer to align with the firm's culture, highlighting one or two positive aspects of that culture in your reply.
7. “What part of this job do you think you would find most rewarding?”
This question can provide a great opportunity to show how your values align with the company's culture. Again, you will need to research the job and company to identify positive core values and beliefs that you can incorporate into your answer. For example, if the company's values include a commitment to community outreach, you could highlight that social responsibility in your answer.
8. “Picture yourself five years from now in this company. What will you have accomplished?”
Forward-looking questions can sometimes be helpful to interviewers who want to understand how their company fits into your overall career plans. You should never give an answer that suggests you plan to leave in the next couple of years. Instead, focus on talking about your future plans for career advancement within the company, with an emphasis on developing new skills and taking on a leadership role.
9. “What stresses you out in your current job?”
This question can be tricky if you haven't done your homework. Make sure that your answer doesn't include anything that you're likely to encounter in your new role. For example, if your new job requires a great deal of collaboration and assisting coworkers, you shouldn't say that those types of demands are stressful in your current role.
10. “Describe your ideal workplace environment.”
Like questions about your dream job, this question can be used to show how well your work style aligns with the prospective employer's company culture. Be sure to describe an environment that sounds at least somewhat similar to the employer's, so that they can easily picture you fitting into their workplace culture.
11. “Think about this company's core values. Which one is the least appealing to you?”
If you understand the company's values and agree with them, it might seem like a struggle to pick one that is less appealing. Fortunately, you can massage your answer to ensure that you express positive sentiments about every value, and then say something like:
“But I guess if you forced me to pick one, I would say [one of the core values]. Still, saying that it's the least appealing to me is a little like me saying that one type of candy bar is my least favorite. I think they're all great.”
12. “Tell me about a time you were criticized by a coworker and describe your reaction.”
This question can help interviewers to get a sense of how you deal with constructive criticism and other types of feedback. To answer effectively, you should describe an instance where you received such criticism, explain how much you value all feedback, and then tell the interviewer how much you appreciated the guidance. Of course, you should be honest, so make sure that you select an encounter that you handled well.
13. “Describe a work challenge you experienced and how you overcame it.”
All successful company cultures need problem-solvers, and this question can be useful for helping an interviewer to assess your skills in that area. You should have one or two examples of this type of problem-solving experience in your arsenal before you walk into the interview.
14. “Are you a person who likes to collaborate with a team or someone who prefers to work independently?”
Depending on the job role and company culture, you may need to work on your own or as part of a team. Team fit interview questions help the interviewer to assess how you'll slot into a specific team, rather than the company overall. Your research should help you to figure out what the job expectations will be, so prepare by learning as much as possible about the new role. Of course, you can also answer this question effectively by splitting the difference and describing your ability and willingness to work independently and in collaboration with others, depending on what the company needs at any given moment.
15. “Do you like to be part of the decision-making process, or do you prefer to follow someone else's lead?”
This is one of those cultural fit interview questions that a hiring manager can use to assess your flexibility, potential leadership skills, and ability to work as part of a team. One possible answer could include some variation of the following statement:
“I've always believed in chain-of-command and the principles of authority, so I'm comfortable following plans and ideas crafted by other people. At the same time, I'm also an experienced leader and feel equally comfortable participating in any decision-making process – as long as I have the information I need to make informed decisions.”
16. “Why did you apply to this company?”
Employers ask this question for a variety of reasons. Some like to ask it to determine your aspirations and career goals. Others simply want to give you an opportunity to express your positive view of their company. But it can also be a great way to see how well your values align with the company's. To make that case, you should include specific core values that you share with your prospective employer. For example:
“One of the things that most attracted me to this firm is your commitment to treating customers like family. That customer-centric approach is rare in today's fast-paced business landscape, and few enterprises really make the effort to even get to know their customer – let alone treat them with any real care. I look forward to bringing my own commitment to customer satisfaction to this role if I'm fortunate enough to get hired.”
Tips you can use to effectively prepare for cultural fit interview questions
To assist you, we've compiled some top tips you can use to prepare for these types of cultural fit interview questions.
Always research the company to identify its culture
As noted earlier, this research can be done by studying the company website and other online statements and posts. You should be looking for information related to the firm's mission, vision, core values, customer interactions, reviews, and awards. Other key components of that culture can include details related to how the firm invests in its employees, any notable historical details, and more.
Consider the things that matter to you
Once you've identified the company's cultural attributes, you need to select the ones that most align with your own values and preferred work conditions. Those will be the positive cultural traits that you want to highlight in your answers to cultural fit interview questions. If there are certain aspects of the company's culture that really stand out for you, don't be afraid to cite those things in multiple answers to really drive home the message that you're a great cultural fit for the role.
Use the STAR method to structure your answers
When practicing your responses, get used to using the STAR method for answering these types of questions. This methodology is a popular way to address behavioral interview questions that involve hiring managers asking you to describe or tell them about certain experiences you've had in the past. To use the method effectively, you should detail, in order, the following:
-
Situation: Start by describing the situation, or challenge that you were facing
-
Task: Explain the task that you needed to accomplish to resolve the situation
-
Action: Talk about the action you took to complete that task
-
Results: Tell the interviewer how your actions produced the desired results
Make sure you're prepared to answer common cultural fit interview questions
In a competitive marketplace, employers need to ensure that the people they hire will fit within their existing company culture. By properly preparing for the most common cultural fit interview questions, you can better ensure that you have the answers you need to show employers that your values and beliefs align with their company culture.
If you're managing to get interviews, but still not landing the job offers you need, our expert interview coaches have the answers you need to jumpstart your career success!