The Importance of Cultural Fit: Understanding the Person Behind the Resume

Sending qualified candidates requires not only an understanding of the technical job specifications, the nature of the products, and the industry knowledge in which the company operates under – but a deep attention to the personality quirks of the people on the team. In this article we explore why understanding the person behind the resume pays dividends for the technology teams we’ve helped staff.

Naturally, individuals want to work in organizations where others share similar qualities with them, including values, motives, and viewpoints on life. Groups that share these characteristics are said to have cultural fit; similar methods of approaching challenges; similar styles of behavior that can be tapped into and motivated with varying reward systems.

There are as many organizational cultures as there are personality types. If “cultural fit is the glue that holds an organization together” then, as recruiters specializing in technical staffing in the South Florida market, we want to be able to create technology teams that get along well together and stand the test of time. Humanizing tech recruiting in Miami, Broward, and West Palm Beach starts by recognizing the internal flame that motivates each and every career professional. 

Harvard Business Review finds that “a proper understanding of fit must take into account the leader’s motives and values, also known as the “inside” of personality.” Values represent the operating center of an individual, dictating their inner compass, and predicting the types of activities they will see as meaningful and fulfilling. Another article found that culture is not some “deterministic thing,” rather it is something that people use strategically to achieve goals.

This understanding of the human element is Octagon Technology Staffing’s strategic advantage. We urge HR and hiring managers to delve deep beyond the initial match between job-description and resume ask themselves to verify if a given candidate can fit into the social fabric of a team. Gaining a better picture of a candidate’s’ values, risk tolerance, and career motivations will help lead to better and more transparent communication.