boss fit

As well as looking for assurances that potential hires are a good fit for specific roles, you can use the interview phase of the recruitment process to determine people's compatibility with their prospective manager.

How well a new employee gels with their boss and responds to their supervisor's management style will have a big impact on how smoothly they integrate into the business and whether or not they make a positive start to their job.

This is important for various reasons beyond the new recruit's personal happiness and productivity, such as:

Setting a positive example to other employees who see managers welcoming and supporting new staff
Mitigating disruption that can affect the rest of the workforce if a new employee has a difficult start to their role
Controlling turnover by reducing the risk of people leaving shortly after joining due to bad relationships with managers

So what can you do to maximize the likelihood of a good boss-employee fit? Once again the questions you ask in interviews will prove crucial.

One subject you might want to focus on is motivation. You could ask the interviewee about past managers who have been particularly successful in motivating them and the methods that person used that proved so effective.

You can also gain some interesting insights by taking the opposite approach and asking about a time the applicant felt demotivated. By asking them to give a specific example of this and then talk about how they handled the situation, you can learn more about them as an individual, and also about the management styles that work best for them.

Example questions to evaluate boss fit:

Can you describe the best supervisor you've ever had and tell me what you appreciated most about them?
What methods have your past supervisors used that you have found inspiring or motivational?
Can you tell me about a supervisor you didn't enjoy working with?
What, specifically, did you find difficult about their approach and how did you handle the situation?

company fit

Broadening your scope even further than job fit and boss fit, it's important to consider how any potential recruit would fit into your organization as a whole.

Corporate culture is an important aspect of your business and the sort of experience you're able to offer employees. It can impact various elements of the company and your employees' performance that are crucial to long-term success, such as:

Employee engagement
Staff retention
Productivity and efficiency
Customer relationships
Your employer brand

So it's crucial to ask what steps you can take to assess whether an interviewee is a good fit for your company, the work environment and your current employees.

You could start by asking the applicant what they already know about your business and what they think it would be like to work for you. If they give a strong answer that reflects your own ideas and understanding of the company, you could take that as a sign that they're a good fit. Furthermore, it will show they have taken the time to research the organization and prepare for the interview.

It's also important to delve deeper into the candidate's work history. You can learn more about their experience and expectations by asking about the types of companies they have worked for in the past, the experiences they have enjoyed the most and any difficulties they have had to overcome.

If the role you're hiring for involves a lot of teamwork and collaboration, you might want to ask about how the interviewee works with others. Some particularly interesting insights can be gained from asking them to give an example of a time they found it difficult to work with a colleague and how they handled the situation.

Example questions to evaluate company fit:

What aspects of working for our company do you think you would enjoy the most?
Which of your past employers have you enjoyed working for the most and why?
How would you manage a situation where you're finding it difficult to work with a fellow team member?
Do you prefer working with others or independently?

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