Stop hiring for culture fit
Culture fit is how companies end up with teams where everyone thinks the same way. Here's what to screen for instead.
Culture fit is a gut feeling dressed up as a hiring criterion
When someone says "they're not a culture fit," what they usually mean is "I wouldn't want to get a beer with them." That's not a hiring criterion. That's a social preference.
Culture fit has become the most abused concept in hiring. It sounds professional. It sounds like you're being thoughtful about team dynamics. But in practice, it's the reason companies end up with teams where everyone went to the same schools, has the same communication style, and thinks the same way.
What goes wrong when you hire for culture fit
You build an echo chamber
When everyone on your team has the same background and perspective, nobody challenges bad ideas. You end up with a team that's really good at agreeing with each other and really bad at catching mistakes.
The best teams we've seen have people who think differently. The quiet analyst who catches what the loud founder misses. The person from a different industry who asks "why do you do it that way?" Those people never pass a culture fit test because they're different. That's exactly why you need them.
You screen out the best candidates
An introverted engineer who doesn't do well in casual conversation but writes incredible code? Not a culture fit. Someone from a different country who communicates more formally? Not a culture fit. A senior hire who pushes back on ideas in meetings? Not a culture fit.
These are often your best hires. But they get filtered out because they don't match the vibe of your existing team.
It's legally questionable
"Culture fit" can easily become a proxy for discrimination. When your culture is young, Finnish, university-educated - and you hire for "fit" - you end up excluding people based on age, nationality, and background without ever saying that's what you're doing.
What to screen for instead
Values alignment
There's a difference between culture and values. Culture is "we have Friday beers and use Slack emojis." Values are "we ship fast and take ownership of our work."
You need people who share your values. You don't need people who share your hobbies. Identify 3-4 actual values that matter to how you work - things like ownership, directness, speed, quality - and evaluate candidates against those.
Working style compatibility
Some practical things matter. If your team is fully remote and async, someone who needs constant in-person collaboration will struggle. If you move fast and break things, someone who needs detailed specs before starting won't thrive. These are real compatibility issues - not "fit."
Be specific about what the working style actually is. "We make decisions quickly and change direction often" is useful. "We have a fun, dynamic culture" is meaningless.
What they add, not what they match
Instead of "does this person fit our culture?" ask "what does this person bring that we don't already have?" Different perspectives, different skills, different ways of solving problems. That's how teams get better.
How to actually do this
Replace "culture fit" in your evaluation forms. Use specific criteria: "Aligns with our value of ownership" or "Communication style works for remote collaboration." Make people articulate what they're actually evaluating.
Structured interviews. Ask every candidate the same questions. Score answers against defined criteria. This removes the "I just didn't get a good vibe" rejections that culture fit enables.
Involve different people. If the same 3 people make every hiring decision, you'll keep hiring the same type of person. Rotate interviewers. Include people from different teams and backgrounds.
The uncomfortable truth
The best hire for your team is probably someone who makes your current team slightly uncomfortable. Not because they're difficult - because they're different. They ask questions nobody else asks. They challenge assumptions. They bring experience your team doesn't have.
That's not a culture problem. That's a culture upgrade.