Biased recruitment | Is hiring a 'cultural fit' a good or bad thing?

Recruitment has taken on many faces in recent years. Business trends – such as AI augmentation – and major social changes – such as a growing focus on diversity and shifts in candidate behaviour – have influenced the ways organisations are recruiting.

Company culture is everything in an organisation’s recruitment process. Your employer brand and culture are increasingly the top considerations for a candidate – various studies show that young professionals would consider leaving their job if a firm’s culture doesn’t align with their values.

In recruitment, hiring based on a candidate being a ‘cultural fit’ is appealing for a myriad of reasons – it ensures a person is well suited to the company, it reduces turnover, and leads to happier and more engaged staff.

But it can also have some highly concerning consequences. It can lead to unconscious biases and a homogenous workforce, as it often results in the preference for candidates who closely resemble existing employees in terms of appearance, class, race, or education.