“What you do is who you are.” — Ben Horowitz
Hiring for culture isn’t about finding people who look and think the same. It’s about identifying candidates who can live and strengthen a company’s values. Here’s how I approach it.
Key Takeaways
- Culture shows up in daily behaviours, not posters or mission statements.
- Good assessments start with understanding how values are lived at work.
- Interview questions should target actions, not opinions.
- A structured “culture-add” rubric is stronger than vague “fit.”
- Hiring choices shape culture more than any strategy deck.
Step 1 – Understand the Culture
Before interviews begin, I spend time uncovering how a company’s values appear in day-to-day work.
- I speak with hiring managers.
- I observe top performers.
- I look at which behaviours are rewarded.
These insights become the foundation for how we’ll evaluate candidates.
Step 2 – Ask the Right Questions
Once the culture is clear, I design situational and behavioural questions that reflect those values.
Example: If teamwork is critical, I might ask:
“Can you share an experience where you had to compromise for the team’s success?”
The goal is to uncover what people actually do, not just what sounds good in theory.
Step 3 – Look for Real Examples
Rehearsed answers are common. To cut through them, I focus on “values in action.”
I check if answers match real-life experience.
- If someone says they thrive on feedback but has never worked in a feedback-rich environment → red flag.
- If they talk about learning from tough feedback situations → strong alignment.
Consistency matters more than polish.
Step 4 – Apply a Culture-Add Approach
Rather than relying on a vague sense of “fit,” I use a structured rubric that covers:
- Observed behaviours during interviews.
- Potential risks to team culture.
- Ways the candidate could positively add to the culture.
This shift from fit to add broadens perspectives and avoids hiring carbon copies.
What to Do Next
- Clarify which behaviours reflect your company’s values.
- Build interview questions around those behaviours.
- Probe for real examples, not surface-level statements.
- Document insights with a simple rubric.
- Discuss as a team how a candidate might add to your culture.
Author Note:
I’m Pierre, The French Recruiter. My focus is helping companies hire engineers who are not only skilled but aligned with their values.
🔗 Related Articles:
“Ethical or Judgment-Based Questions: The SPIES Framework”
“Scenario-Based Questions: Mastering the BARRR Technique”
“How to Nail Values-Based Questions Without Sounding Generic”
The French Recruiter 