Many times, hiring the correct candidate for your company can be just as nerve-wracking a task as actually applying for that position. Your hiring team most likely has an idea of the type of candidate you will be looking for and the qualities they should exhibit. But sometimes, it is hard to tell whether a candidate will fit your company culture well until they are actually hired.

Hiring a candidate that fits your company culture does not have to be a guessing game, though. There are some ways to simplify this process for you and give you a better chance of hiring an employee that fits right in.

Ask Open-Ended Questions

Open-ended questions are a great way to know the candidate more deeply. You will want the interview to be operated more like a conversation rather than a rigid interview. While you should keep the conversation professional for the most part, don’t be afraid to let your personality as the interviewer come through, and don’t shy away from asking more personal questions about their hobbies or interests. By establishing this type of interview conversation, you’ll have a much better chance of understanding the candidate’s work personality and how they will fit into your organization as a whole. When trying to find a candidate that fits your company culture, encouraging authenticity throughout the interview process is the key, and open-ended questions are essential in doing so.

Have More Than One Interviewer

One interviewer may establish a better connection with a candidate or get more information out of them than another would, which is why it is good to include more than one individual from your organization in the process. This provides a better chance of assessing an individual’s potential fit for the company. Since company culture relies on a group effort, you cannot reduce the interviewing process to just one person. Involve a few team members in this process so that you can assess the candidate’s potential from a larger perspective.

Communicate the Company’s Values

Not only should you be assessing whether the candidate is a right fit, but the candidate should also be assessing whether they are a correct fit for the role and company. The interview is just as important for the company as it is for the candidate. Especially for those who want to enjoy where they work, they will also be examining your company’s values and culture from an outer perspective, deciding whether the role fits their wants and needs or not. In this process, you should be extra intentional about communicating the company’s values to the candidate. Don’t just describe your values, but try to show how they are lived out and what the work environment is like. This effort to show the company culture early on will play a large role in moving the interviews along at a more successful pace.