Human Resources Blog - Spark Hire

Asking the Right Video Interview Questions to Determine A Candidate’s Cultural Fit

Asking the Right Video Interview Questions to Determine A Candidate’s Cultural FitHiring someone for cultural fit is just as important as hiring them for the skills they possess. Company culture impacts how your employees perform their jobs, how your customers are treated, and can contribute to turnover rates.

Video interviews allow companies to quickly connect with candidates. You can also better assess a candidate’s fit for your company by asking the following questions:

What kind of environments have you worked in and what did you like/dislike about them?

How a candidate answers this question will definitely help you to determine if he or she will be a successful team member. If the candidate has only ever worked in a group-oriented environment with a relaxed atmosphere, chances are they will have a difficult time adjusting to your company culture if it is more structured and requires mostly independent work.

What was a big mistake you made at a job and how did you fix it?

No one is perfect; everyone makes mistakes and it’s important that we learn and grow from them. If your candidate can’t own up to any mistakes during the video interview, they’ll likely bring this same attitude into your workplace. You need employees who will acknowledge their errors, correct the issue, and learn from the experience.

What does “teamwork” mean to you?

Asking a candidate this question will help you to determine if they are on the same page when it comes to your company’s attitude and perception of teamwork. If your current employees enjoy interacting with one another and working as a team, that can be thrown off balance if you throw a lone wolf into the mix.

How do you define success?

Does the candidate view success as a large paycheck, a long list of responsibilities, or a happy work-life balance? If he or she evaluates success differently from your company, they may end up being unhappy on the job.

If you’re a small business just getting off its feet, you won’t have the budget to satisfy a candidate who thinks success means a lot of zeros on their paycheck. Likewise, if you’re looking for someone who is willing to work long hours to get work done, a candidate that thinks success means spending more time at home wouldn’t be a wise choice.

When you have employees who fit in and enjoy their job, you will experience better productivity and more success. A candidate may be highly qualified for a role, but not mesh well with your company culture. Asking these questions will enable you to weed out bad candidates that aren’t right for your positions and avoid costly employee turnover.

Learn about more ways video interviewing can help you make smarter hiring decisions from our free whitepaper, “Finding the Best and Avoiding the Worst in a Video Interview”!

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Camelia Rodriguez

Camelia Rodriguez is the Digital Community Specialist for Spark Hire. She enjoys writing and editing, binge-watching TV shows on Hulu and Netflix, and eating foods she isn't allergic to. Born and raised in Chicago, she loves to cheer for the Bulls, Bears, Blackhawks, and Cubbies.