Is There Really Such a Thing as Culture Fit?

One of the criteria I coach clients to look at when they're considering applying for or accepting a position is the fit between them and the organization.  But I wonder if there's such a thing as organizational fit.  I think there really isn't.

I was remembering back to my last J-O-B in Corporate America and was trying to put myself in the shoes of someone who was interviewing for a position in that particular organization.  I concluded the following:

 An interviewee's interpretation of the corporate culture in that organization would be completely dependent on the person they were interviewing with! 

So, what is the lesson for a job seeker?  It's more important to understand the fit between you and the decision maker, than it is to understand the 'corporate culture' (if there is one).

So what to do?  We're back again, to doing research, not just on the company, but on the person/people you'll be interviewing with.

I can think of hiring managers and V.P.'s at my previous company, who, if presented with the company mission statement and vision by the person sitting across from them, would have said..."Yea, right, whatever."  

Bottom line: Know who you're interviewing with, and if their approach and values just happen to be aligned with the organization's, great, but if not, you better know what the interviewer's approach and values are first.


Brenda