Could Culture Be Affecting Your Hiring?

Hiring mistakes can lead to costly and negative ramifications, and is all too common in companies today. In fact, 69 percent of companies said they had been negatively affected by a bad hire in 2012 alone, according to a recent Career Builder survey. More than 40 percent of US employers estimated a bad hiring decision cost them $25,000 last year, while 25 percent estimated the cost to be more than $50,000.

A poor hiring decision can show up in many ways such as less productivity, lower employee morale/engagement, cost in training new employees, etc.

But why do companies keep making poor hiring decisions? One big reason might be cultural. It is a human tendency to look for similarities in our hiring decisions. Most people like the ‘two peas in a pod’ feeling and actively seek that out. 

As a consequence, we do not always find the most skilled candidate for the position. Usually, applicants get screened for qualifications in the very early stages of the recruiting process and then the focus shifts from skills to personality. In fact, cultural fit is a part of the formal recruitment process in most cases, even when searching for diversity. 

Building a team of cultural similarities can usually create a strong cohesive unit but you may be denying yourself the talent level that the company needs to be truly successful.Like anything in life, there is a balance that needs to be struck between cultural fit and talent level. For more information, call 770.248.0401.