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> They minimize or completely disregard whether or not someone will be a cultural fit. This is because in practice, "culture fit" is the current buzzword excus
by davidgerard 11y ago
> They minimize or completely disregard whether or not someone will be a cultural fit.
This is because in practice, "culture fit" is the current buzzword excuse for what is otherwise called "illegal discrimination".
- pc86 11y agoSo what about it, then? Is cultural fit supposed to be completely ignored? It's important, and assuming that it means illegal discrimination is totally false.
- davidgerard 11y agoTotally false? So what are the typical demographics of the tech industry? How homogeneous is the age range, the racial percentages, the gender makeup? Seriously, look at the report from Google just for a much-discussed recent example. It's not like this hasn't been discussed at length on HN.
- fecak 11y agoCultural fit can be a legitimate concern. However, companies that discriminate will often choose to use "cultural fit" (or simply "not a fit") as the reason for rejection, which complicates things.
- SilasX 11y agoI don't think the problem is filtering by cultural fit itself, but rather, the overbroad use of the term for widely different scenarios to the point where it conveys no information at best, or hides bad reasons at worst. The term can mean a legitimate work compatibility issue like "people feel awkward around him when they try to crack innocent jokes to ease the stress", but can also mean "he insists on picking up his kid every day rather than going out drinking".
- mcv 11y ago"Cultural fit" is just a phrase. You need to articulate what exactly you're looking for. I once worked in a Scrum team with a tester who really needed to be in a Waterfall environment. She was an excellent tester, but just didn't have the right mindset for Scrum. But how do you filter that out? You need to know exactly what you're looking for. But as soon as your "cultural fit" becomes about hiring young, hip dudes who like unusual food and kite surfing, it becomes a harmful aspect of your hiring process. You'll end up with less diversity, and therefore less represented view points in your company, and therefore less customers that you will understand. Diversity is important.
- Lawtonfogle 11y agoIt is more complicated than that. Cultural fit is a major deal. It can significantly impact the bottom line. The problem arises because the culture is largely a factor of protected classes. It is acceptable to not hire a woman because she is a worse candidate than a man who is also applying. It is unacceptable to not hire a woman because she is a woman. But when you account for culture fit, she may end up being a worse candidate because she is a woman who would be working a culture that is toxic to women. And often, getting rid of those who make the culture toxic to women isn't an option in the near future.
- a_c_s 11y agoIt depends on what you mean by "culture fit": is from the same social culture (watches the same tv shows, enjoys the same activities etc.) or professional culture (dress code, communication style, etc.). The former is clearly ripe for abuse, the latter is more legitimate (though also a place to tread carefully).
- davidgerard 11y agoThe urge for "culture fit" is how, despite completely innocent aims ("let's find people we can get along with"), the results look indistinguishable from systemic discrimination. This is why diversity requires active effort, not just e.g. waiting for the pipeline to fill.