Hiring engineers? You're probably focusing too much on technical skills. Sure, technical ability matters, but here's the truth: most of what makes someone successful on a team comes down to culture fit.
I know "culture fit" is a loaded term. It's been (rightly) blamed for creating homogeneous teams that all think alike. But when I talk about culture fit, I mean alignment with how your team actually gets things done—not just who you'd go out with after work.
Ask yourself:
Even the most talented person in the world will struggle if they don't gel with the team's values and working style.
I get why we focus so much on technical skills—they are way easier to assess! CVs are full of technical details, and a decent coding or design test can confidently confirm what's on paper. Culture fit? That takes some real digging.
Instead of hoping for the best, try asking candidates real questions that reveal how they'll behave inside of the team dynamic, like:
Once they give you their polished answer (because you sent them the questions in advance, right?), dig deeper: Do their answers (and their attitude) hold up under scrutiny? Do their actions back up their thinking? Can they explain the outcomes of their story? This helps you make sure that their style would fit in with your team.
You can teach technical skills. You can't teach someone how to fit into your team without a lot of pain (and regret).
Hire for "right person, right team"—and let the ones who don't fit move on to where they belong.
