June 25, 2014: In most cases, the successful integration of new hires is based on their ability to culturally fit in with the organisation. Yet, surprisingly, Indian organisations still base their final decision mostly on skills and experience, and not on whether the candidate is a good ‘fit’. This was revealed in a recent survey by TimesJobs.com
On an average, 35% organisations lay a lot of emphasis on skills and experience during hiring (across levels/positions), almost 50% completely overlook cultural fitment and the rest consider educational qualifications and international exposure important.
“This is a worrying trend, as people managers openly acknowledge that cultural fit is a very critical element in hiring, particularly at the top level. Overlooking cultural fit can be a reason a lot of senior level resignations and shifts have happened in India Inc in the past few months.” according to Vivek Madhukar, COO, TimesJobs.com.
Sector shocks
The BPO/ITeS and Consumer Durables sectors top the list of industries which pay less attention to the element of cultural fit while hiring a candidate. About 90% of the organisations belonging to BPO/ITeS and Consumer Durables sectors said that technical skills are more important than fitting in culturally. Nearly 67% organisations in the Automobile and BFSI sector also feel the same way.
Matter of size
Ironically, small organisations, do not consider ‘cultural fit’ a crucial element. Nearly 63% organisations with the employee size of 200-300 give preference to technical skills over cultural fit.
Demographic differences
Over 80% of the surveyed organisations in tier I cities/state capitals give more preference to technical skills over cultural fit.
The Problem & Solution
Industry experts have revealed that while most organisations do recognise the importance of cultural fit, they tend to ignore it in a bid to attract talent. Lack of knowledge and understanding about how to assess the right ‘fit’ during the hiring process, results in hiring ‘misfits’.
Uday Vaidya, founder partner, Munee Consultants spoke to TimesJobs.com and shared his advice for assessing the right cultural ‘fit’:
• Critically observing candidate’s body language in different situations
• Asking the candidate to reflect on a hypothetical situation
• Observing the candidate’s responses in simulation exercise
• Inviting the candidate to an informal event, such as dinner and critically observing his behavior
For more information click Here – http://content.timesjobs.com/how-do-companies-hire-the-best/