Should You Hire For Experience Or Cultural Fit?

The question that every hiring manager needs to ask themselves, are they a good fit for our culture? It is easy to get blinded by experience and sometimes you get experience and a good fit for your culture, but if you have to choose one, you should always pick someone who aligns with your culture.

Experience is great to have, in fact, it is so valued that companies overlook how that person fits into the company mold. Hiring someone based solely on their experience without taking into account how they could affect your culture could leave you with a rude awakening.

You have to be tentative to the effects of adding a new team member. If you aren't, you could be adding a cancer to the team. Just because they have all the credentials and numbers, doesn't mean the have the attitude that fits your culture. Sure, you might be able to sway their way of thinking once you get them in, but what if you can't? What if you start noticing a decline in other team members? What if that person with all their experience got where they are at by running over others or doing unethical things?

Your culture is the most important thing you can maintain for your business. It sets precedent of who you are as a leader, how you treat your customers, and more importantly, how you treat your team. The old saying, "one rotten apple can spoil the bunch" reigns true when it comes to your culture.

Hiring for a cultural fit ensures they mesh with the team and your leadership style. Plus, you get the opportunity to bring them up through your business and teach them all the in's and out's they will need in the future to step into a leadership role. What better employee to have than one who understands every aspect of the business while emphasizing the culture you want?

One thing you should always keep in mind, you can teach process,but you can not teach cultural fit.