To Determine Cultural Fit, Skip the Resume – Ask the Right Questions

The resume is a staple of the recruiting process, and it likely always will be in some form or another. Even if the one-sheet Word doc eventually transforms into a holographic multimedia extravaganza beamed directly into the offices of hiring managers (I'm just spitballing here), job seekers will always need a way to flaunt their skills and experiences, and employers will always need a way to quickly assess candidates' qualifications.

But that doesn't mean that resumes are any good when it comes to determining cultural fit. For that, you're better off relying on insightful interview questions.

That's according to a recent survey of business and HR leaders conducted by real-time feedback platform Waggl. (Full-disclosure: We use Waggl here at Recruiter Today, as you may know from previous articles.)

In Waggl's "The Voice of the Workplace" survey, 85 percent of respondents said that an insightful interview question is more important than a resume for sourcing talent and determining cultural fit.

And just what constitutes an "insightful interview question" in this regard? Here are a few examples of questions submitted by survey participants:

Tell me about the three most pivotal leadership experiences in your career. What did you learn? How do you apply that today?

What is your personal professional brand? How would your current or former coworkers describe you, and what is a piece of constructive feedback you receive consistently? What have you done to improve on that?

Tell me about a time when you overcame internal resistance and successfully accomplished an important business objective.

What excites you about this job?

To see more questions that can help you determine fit and to learn about some of the themes common to the most insightful questions, check out the full infographic below: