When you’re interviewing potential employees, obviously your first priority is to make sure they have the experience and skills to excel in your open position. But it’s equally important to make sure they’ll thrive in your company culture and get along with the rest of your team. If they don’t, your team’s productivity and synergy may suffer—and you may find yourself having to fire someone and go through the entire hiring process again.

So how can you tell whether a potential employee will fit with your company culture? Try asking the following types of questions:

• Do you prefer to work alone, or as part of a team? If the job you’re hiring for requires team collaboration, and your best candidate says she’s a loner, that work style won’t be a good fit for that position. Or, if your position requires a person with a lot of autonomy, you’ll want to make sure that person is comfortable working independently.

• Describe your perfect work environment. Similar to the last question, make sure your candidate’s answer meshes with your needs. If the candidate requires complete silence to concentrate and your workplace is noisy and busy, chances are he won’t be able to maximize his productivity.

• Describe two things you like about your current/last work environment and two things you wish you could change. The candidate’s answer will tell you more about the type of environment the candidate prefers to work in. Is your company a good match?

• How do you feel about friendships between coworkers? Some companies encourage colleagues to socialize, while others prefer that the focus remains on work. Choose an employee whose style matches your corporate culture..

• What management style will help you do your best? Some employees prefer frequent direction, while others work best with minimal supervision. You’ll need to decide whether the candidate will be a good match for the person she’ll be working under.

• How would your coworkers describe you? This will help you determine whether the candidate will fit in with his teammates. Compare his answers to this question to what you know about the personalities and work styles of your current employees.

While some candidates look great on paper, you may discover that they don’t have the right personality or work style to fit in at your company. Waiting to find the employee who does is worth the effort. Your company will benefit from better retention, improved productivity, a stronger end product and increased customer satisfaction Any questions? Ask Staffers! We know all of the best ways to assess for cultural fit.