Company culture overtakes skills as no.1 factor in hiring decision process

Research from Thomas International (@ThomasInt_UK), the global talent assessment platform provider, has revealed company and cultural fit has overtaken skills as the number one priority when making hiring decisions. 

The research, from Thomas’ global customer base, found that over half (52%) of businesses now rank how a candidate fits into their company culture as more important than their skills or experience when making new hires. Only 38% said skills were more important than cultural fit.   

While skills and experience have long been the number one criteria for securing a new job, it’s clear that a significant shift has taken place in the hiring process over the last year. 

Sabby Gill, CEO of Thomas commented on the findings,

“It’s important to evaluate skills and experience during the hiring process. But how well a candidate will fit into the team dynamic and wider company culture is much more important. It’s the person who is engaged and bought into a company’s ethos that will turn up every day and get results – not a piece of paper or a specific set of skills. 

“We need to see even more hiring decisions being made on cultural fit as opposed to pure skills and qualifications. While it sounds obvious, the last year has proven that companies made up of committed, diverse and engaged people are most likely to succeed when times are tough.”