The problem is that "culture fit" is too broad and too vague. Often it includes things that are completely unrelated to job performance. If you want to make sure people are able/willing to work long hours, ask about that (and be aware that you're probably discriminating to some degree against people with families or health issues). If you want to know how someone will handle stress, ask about that. Not only will you be measuring actual job-related skills or qualities, but you'll also be telling the candidate something they should know about the work environment. On the other hand, hobbies and musical tastes and political views should not be part of a hiring process, and that's the kind of thing "culture fit" often seems to include.
> If you want to make sure people are able/willing to work long hours, ask about that (and be aware that you're probably discriminating to some degree against people with families or health issues).
Incidentally, discriminating on the basis of familial status or disability is illegal in various jurisdictions.
> Incidentally, discriminating on the basis of familial status or disability is illegal in various jurisdictions.
Indeed it is, and it should be, but many companies successfully use proxies to get around that. It's a lot harder to win a suit because a company demanded long hours than because they explicitly refused to hire people with families or above a certain age. I didn't mean to encourage such chicanery, which is why I already had the parenthetical comment about discrimination. My point was that if there are expectations or behaviors like this, then they should be addressed specifically instead of under a "culture fit" umbrella. Often that will make their il/legitimacy clearer, and help to prevent discrimination.
