I was involved in a couple interviews today and the focus was not on the depth and breadth of the candidate’s technical experience but whether or not they will fit the Duncan Aviation culture. Determining experience and technical ability comes right off the resume and can be quickly affirmed with some targeted interview questions during a pre-screening or initial interview. In this, the final interview, what we wanted to find out is which individual would fit best with our company's culture and values.
So, what is our culture? At Duncan, our culture and values evolve around honesty, integrity, loyalty, respect, teamwork, innovation and hard work. Our Core Values were defined by our employees 14 years ago and continue to guide and make us successful yet today. They will not be compromised and anyone coming on board will need to understand this.
I tend to ask interview questions that paint a picture of a candidate's working or leadership style, motivation and expectations of an employer. This helps me to determine whether they will play well in our sandbox. If a compatible match exists, there is a much greater likelihood of employee retention than someone who just has the "skills" to do the job.
Those that fit our culture will be happier, will look forward to coming to work and will be challenged technically by using their training and skills.
That's my perspective. What do you think, is it more important to focus on skills or cultural fit when interviewing and selecting talent?
