The Secrets of Successful Hiring, Part 3: Culture Fit – Or Is There a Better Term?

In many hiring discussions, the focus tends to shift quickly to technical skills and hard qualifications. But just as often, the underlying question becomes: Is this the kind of person we want to work with?

And that’s where the term “culture fit” usually comes in.

But here’s the problem: most companies can’t even define what culture fit means – and it’s costing them.

A LinkedIn study found that 89% of hiring failures are due to attitude, not skill. And yet, most recruitment processes are built to assess hard qualifications, not human alignment.

In Finland, a 2023 Duunitori employer survey found that nearly 70% of employers consider personality and team compatibility more important than CVs when making final hiring decisions – yet few have clear criteria for how to evaluate that.

"Culture fit" is often used as a gut feeling, a shortcut, or worse – an excuse to hire someone just like everyone else.

So what does "culture fit" actually mean?

There’s no single agreed-upon definition. But in practice, it often means:

1. Shared values – The person believes in the same principles as the company

2. Work style compatibility – They collaborate and communicate in similar ways

3. Social alignment – They’re someone people would like to have lunch with

4. Background similarity – They have similar education, experience, or worldview

These aren’t inherently bad. But overused, they lead to:

🩷 Hiring for comfort over capability
🩷 Reinforcing sameness and groupthink
🩷 Making biased decisions under the guise of "fit"

And in fast-scaling companies, that’s a recipe for stagnation.

What if we aimed higher than fit?

The question isn’t: Does this person fit our culture? The better question is: Can this person help grow it?

At DreamIt, we work with clients to shift from "culture fit" to:

🩷 Vision alignment – shared belief in where we’re going
🩷 Value resonance – alignment on why we do what we do
🩷 Contribution mindset – people who challenge us constructively

This shift doesn’t mean letting go of alignment – it means being more intentional about what kind of alignment truly matters.

What to assess instead of traditional culture fit:

🩷 Motivation to join your mission
🩷 Curiosity and learning capacity
🩷 Alignment with core values (not necessarily personality)
🩷 Ability to collaborate across differences
🩷 Willingness to challenge ideas with respect

This approach leads to more inclusive, resilient, and forward-moving teams.

Because culture isn’t something to protect from change - It’s something to expand with the right people.

This blog post is part of our five-part series: The Secrets of Successful Hiring.

👉 Read Part 1: Start with Clarity – Not a Job Ad
👉 Read Part 2: Timing Is Everything – Why Urgency Kills Quality

🩷 Part 4: Candidate Experience Is a Competitive Advantage → Coming soon.

Want help defining your hiring values and decision criteria? We’re here to support your next strategic hire.

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