Job Interviews – Will You Fit in With the Organization?

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When interviewing a candidate for a job, employers almost invariably try to estimate whether this person will fit in with their organization. The issue of fit at job interviews seems like a fuzzy concept, but it is an important one. It’s something the job applicant needs to pay attention to.

Incidentally, the question of fit is one reason why companies prefer to hire based on personal referrals. The fact is that people prefer to hire those who they know or at least, those who are known to someone within the organization. In such cases, employers have a certain degree of confidence that the person referring the new hire would not have suggested him if he would be a misfit at their organization.

What exactly do employers look for when they evaluate whether you will “fit in”? The term actually refers to an amalgam of different factors. Some of them include your appearance and personality, your work style, values and so on. The question of fit also includes tangible factors such as where you can be slotted into the hierarchy and what benefits would be right for you — salary, bonuses, perks, etc.

From the employer’s viewpoint, both tangible and intangible factors need to fit well if they are to hire you.

Let’s look at one of the intangible factors in more detail — values.

Every individual and organization has a set of values they operate from, whether those values are consciously recognized or not. The day to day behavior, the goals and objectives of organizations are driven by what they value.

The same holds for individuals. You may value things like earning more than a certain amount of money, being the best in customer service, helping the organization cut costs, solving problems in an innovative manner, giving high quality presentations, etc.

Some organizations may place a premium on customer service while others may be more concerned with innovation. Still others may have cost control as a primary focus.

In some cases, you can clearly make out an organization’s values by checking out their vision statement. Sometimes, the literature given out to new hires for orientation purposes contains important clues to the company values. At other times, it is not so clear — many mission / vision statements are entirely divorced from the actual values held by the organization.

In addition, values change over time. This applies to both individuals and organizations. Many a time, mission statements reflect the values held years ago and ignore the rapid changes the organization had to go through to cope with a changing environment.

As part of your pre-interview research, you should make a real effort to get to know the values of the company you are applying to. Speaking to insiders you know is often the best way to gain this information. Think through your own personal value system as well. Then decide whether you will fit into the organization you are interviewing with.