Are you a match with the company? Be prepared for these culture-fit interview questions

We spend a lot of time at work. So, when you’re interviewing for a job, it’s important to determine if the company will be a good fit for both you and the employer. For this reason, hiring managers want to ensure that they’re hiring someone with the right personality, as well as the needed qualifications. 

One way to do this is to ask good “culture-fit” interview questions, which help them determine how you’ll get along with the rest of the team. This won’t necessarily be a separate part of the interview—the hiring manager won’t say, “Now, I’m going to ask you some culture-fit questions.” They’ll most likely be more casual about it, asking seemingly off-the-cuff questions during the course of the interview. 

In that case, it will be helpful to recognize these interview questions for culture fit when you hear them, so that you can apply the best strategy and answer them effectively. To that end, we’ve provided some of the most common culture-fit interview questions to help you prepare for your next interview.

How do you pass a culture-fit interview?

If you’re asking yourself, “What does a culture-fit interview mean?,” you’ve come to the right place. While some companies do these separately by having you meet with members of the team you’d be working with, most of the time these questions will be worked into your standard job interviews. 

Whichever way it’s done, determining your cultural fit with the company culture is a vital step. So, it’s important to take these culture-fit interview questions seriously. Remember, you want to make sure that you’ll be happy working there too!

Consider the following three steps to navigate these culture-fit interviews:

1. Do your homework.

You’re already going to be researching the position to ensure that you have the right qualifications, so why not go the extra mile to research your culture fit. 

Do a deep dive into the company itself by studying its social media and online presence to identify its mission, values, and culture. This includes reading any related news articles that you can find. Hone in on the type of language they use and see if you can pick up on any trends or themes. 

You can also check your professional network to see if you can connect with any current employees to get a first-hand account of the culture.

2. Do a self-check

You won’t know whether you’re a good culture fit with a company until you can define what’s important to you. This is a good time to do a little professional self-reflection and determine your career goals, values, and work style. Then, see if you can connect these with the company’s culture. 

Just remember this one important thing: No matter how much you want a job, you should stay true to yourself. Don’t try to be something you’re not. You won’t be happy in the long term, and hiring managers can spot inauthenticity from a mile away. Listen to your gut: if a company isn’t aligning with you, don’t force it.

3. Practice your answers

You’ll want to prepare your responses to culture-fit interview questions just as you would with any other type of interview questions. 

To do this effectively, use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to provide a framework to your answers that include real-world examples of your personality and work style in action. Use examples that demonstrate how your experience aligns with the company’s culture and values, whether it be communication, teamwork, flexibility, or productivity. 

Also, don’t forget to prepare some culture-fit interview questions to ask the employer about the company culture, goals, opportunities, and so on. Not only will this make you look professional, it also shows genuine enthusiasm for the job, the company, and the value you’d bring to the role.

15 Common culture-fit interview questions and what they mean

In a way, culture-fit questions in interviews are like art: You know it when you see (or hear) it. We’ve listed 15 of the most common culture-fit interview questions below, so that you’ll be able to identify them and answer them effectively. 

The key is knowing what these questions are really asking. Take the point of view of the interviewer, and see if you can determine what information they’re trying to glean from your answers. Then, structure your answers so that you can demonstrate how you’d meet their needs and fit into the overall company culture.

1. How do you handle stress and pressure?

This question is really about conflict management and time management. Consider it a story prompt and answer by talking about a time when you were put under a lot of pressure to do well at something, and how you responded to that stressful situation.

2. What is your ideal company culture?

The great thing about this culture-fit interview question is that there’s no wrong way to answer. Just remember to keep it positive, and refrain from talking about environments where you wouldn’t thrive. 

Think about the following related prompts:

• Do you like an open coworking environment, or do you work best in assigned workspaces?

• Do you feel motivated by a manager who checks in frequently, or does that level of attention tend to stress you out?

• Do you view weekly meetings as a fun way to connect with your work community, or do you often wonder if they could have been done via email?

3. What values are you drawn to?

This culture-fit interview question is pretty straightforward. Excellent workplace values to mention in your answer could be: work-life balance, dependability, integrity, tolerance, diversity and inclusion, social awareness, and consistent follow-through.

4. What makes you excited about coming to work?

Your answer to this question could be about the people, the environment, the mission, or just knowing that you’re earning a paycheck every time you walk through the door (hey, that’s okay too!). 

Do you like knowing what’s expected of you and going on autopilot? Or are you excited about not knowing what the day will hold? Do you like helping people, or using your creative skills? No matter what motivates you, this is a great prompt for describing what excites you about your job.

5. What is your leadership style?

This is another culture-fit interview question with no wrong answer, because there’s no one right way to be a leader.

• Are you assertive, passive, go-with-the-flow, or hyperactive? Are you a team player or best when doing your work solo?

• Do you have an easy time coming up with solutions, or are you better at implementing solutions designed by others?

• Do you like to give directions, or prefer to trust others to come up with their own paths?

Even if a leadership role doesn’t appeal to you, this is a great opportunity to share your leadership style and skills that would appeal to an employer.

6. What do you need to be productive?

Be specific and honest when answering this culture-fit question in your interview.

• Do you need a standing desk, an ergonomic setup, or the freedom to wear headphones and slippers to work?

• Are you most productive when you work from home office, can log off by 4 p.m. every day, or only work four days a week?

• Do you prefer a quiet space isolated from others, or like being where the action is?

• Does your productivity decline when your workspace is in front of a window, or is the exact opposite true?

Everyone is different, so make sure that you know your ideal work environment and can communicate this to the hiring manager in your answer.

7. How would your friends describe you?

This question aims to understand your morals and ethics in a non-professional light. Who are you when you don’t have office rules guiding your behavior? This is the time to market yourself as a well-rounded individual, with a solid head on your shoulders.

This is also a good opportunity to think about the ideal direction you want your career to go. For example, if you’d like to move into a leadership role, incorporate words into your answer that describe a leader.

8. What would make you quit a job in the first month?

This one is a much less subtle question to assess your culture fit. But it can be very helpful to know your deal breakers and make sure that they don’t conflict with the job or company culture. 

For example, if your answer to this question is, “Lots of team meetings,” and the company thrives on group communication, it shows that you might not be very happy working there.

9. What do you value most in a workplace, and how do you maintain a positive work environment?

This question is meant to see whether your work values align with the company’s, and if you can make a positive contribution to your team. If you’ve done your homework, you can craft an answer that demonstrates your understanding of the company culture and what you’d do to ensure that the environment continues running smoothly.

10. What do you think your managers would say about you?

This is similar to the question about your friends, but on a more professional level. Hiring managers ask this question to gauge your professionalism, self-awareness, and how you interact with others in the workplace, including how you were perceived (or think you were perceived) by your supervisors. 

Your answer to this question lets them know how you might interact with others in this role, as well as how you handle feedback or criticism.

11. How do you deal with feedback or criticism and use it to improve your performance?

Speaking of feedback or criticism, this question is a slightly more straightforward way of asking for the same information. The hiring manager wants to know how you deal with constructive criticism, which is an important skill in today’s workplace. Do you bristle or get defensive, or do you take in the feedback to help you learn and grow?

12. Can you share a time when you showed flexibility or had to adapt to changing circumstances?

Things can change rapidly in the workplace, and hiring managers want to know if you have the flexibility to adapt or if you fall apart under stress. 

In your answer, make sure to give a good example from a previous job when you had to adjust to changing circumstances and what the outcome was (remember the STAR method!), to illustrate how you solve problems.

13. What is your preferred method of communication?

Interviewers want to gauge your communication style, and determine if it aligns with that of the company. For example, if you’re primarily an email or Slack person, but the company values face-to-face meetings, that’s an important thing for both of you to know in advance.

14. What are the red flags that you look for when evaluating a company’s culture?

This is another good culture-fit interview question to determine if your values align with theirs. What warning signs turn you off about a workplace? What practices or behaviors do you find unappealing or even downright objectionable? 

Your answer to this question will give the hiring manager a good sense of your professionalism, core values, and work ethic.

15. What’s one thing you like about your current job that you’d like to have here?

The interviewer wants to know what aspects of a company culture are important to you, such as communication style, community relations, or workplace environment. This question is a good way to gauge your values, your work style, and a bit of insight into your personality.

Need some help polishing your interview skills? Check out career.io’s Interview Prep tool, which will provide personal guidance and expert feedback to help you land the job you want.

Key takeaways

1. Culture-fit interview questions help hiring managers determine how you’ll get along with the rest of the team and company.

2. To successfully answer culture-fit questions in an interview, do your research on the company, assess your own values and goals, and practice your answers ahead of time.

3. The key to answering culture-fit interview questions is to understand what the hiring manager is really asking.