Blog from Robert Half.

Your top job candidate meets all of the qualifications you’ve listed in the job posting, and then some. But will she be a good fit in your corporate culture?

That question is as important as any you might have asked to gauge skills, aptitude and experience. And it’s going to be one of the most difficult to answer. More than six in 10 human resources managers surveyed by OfficeTeam said they had misjudged a candidate’s fit with their company’s work environment. In the same survey, two-thirds said their company had lost an employee because he or she was not suited for the work environment.

Turnover is nothing any employer can afford. The wrong person in the wrong job can also contribute to a decline in staff morale, collaboration and productivity. Whether the new hire is a toxic employee or simply a poor fit for the position and the team, the cost of a bad hire can be surprisingly high.

No part of the hiring process should be left to chance. You can take steps to ensure your preferred candidate and your organization’s corporate culture are an ideal match. Here are our recommendations:

The job description

Begin by describing your corporate culture in the job description. Why? Self-selection is an effective means for thinning the applicant pool. The more complete your job description, the more likely you’ll spend precious time and resources assessing not only the more highly qualified candidates, but those who believe they would be happy — and successful — in your workplace environment. Robert elaborates about this on his blog (share mission & values, perks & benifits, state what you want).

The interview

You’ve evaluated cover letters and resumes, and put aside any with obvious red flags. You’ve checked out the LinkedIn profiles of the most highly qualified candidates, and you’ve identified who you’d like to call in for interviews. Now, consider the interview questions you’ll ask to determine whether the applicant’s knowledge and skill level are as impressive as his paperwork suggests, and how successful he would be in your corporate culture. Robert goes more into detail in his blog about open-ended and hypothetical questions and close-ended questions and nonverbal cues.

References and team feedback

No matter how impressed you are, and no matter how pressed you are, always check a candidate’s professional references. This is your opportunity to gather testimony that will confirm your good impressions and settle any lingering doubts. It’s also your opportunity to determine whether the candidate would be successful in your work environment. But as with every other step in the hiring process, be prepared when checking references.

Read the whole article on Robert’s blog.