친숙함이 잡 오퍼를 결정한다 [english]

The importance of cultural similarities

Can cultural similarities with employers affect hiring decisions?

Scientific evidence: Drawing from 120 interviews with employers in elite professional service firms (e.g., law firm, consulting firm, and investment bank) in the US as well as participant observation of a hiring committee, Dr. Rivera (Northwestern university) finds that employers seek candidates who are not only competent but also culturally similar to themselves in terms of leisure pursuits, experiences, and self-presentation styles.

Practical implications for job applicants:

1. Be aware that whether you get a job offer is not always about your skills and competences. In other words, you may not get an offer although you are smarter and more experienced than others. Your employers need a reason to like you as a person. The easiest way to do is to find similarities with them in something. It can be anything: music or food taste, favorite sports team, habits, life stories, places you have visited, where you are from, family backgrounds, or million different things. The key point is to think outside 'the only work mode.' Show who you are as a person. Find something to laugh together if possible. Show that you can be an office buddy with whom your job interviewer can have a coffee or drink with.

2. You cannot impress everyone. Try to get at least one strong supporter in the hiring committee. A hiring decision is difficult and things are really close especially when your competitors are as strong as you in terms of their qualifications. And if you are having an interview, it is very likely that your employers already sorted out and left only highly qualified individuals. What you need is a person who is willing to push others and 'move the needle' to hire you. To do so, they need to be enthusiastic about you.

3. This is particularly important when you have nothing much in common with your employers with regards to job-related qualifications (e.g., educational backgrounds, job experiences, etc). Then try extra hard to build a bridge with your employers. Share your values (e.g., the most important thing in my life is [this]), life experiences (e.g., I grew up in a small town), unique hobbies (something you have done for a long time), etc. Also make sure to connect these experiences with your potentials (e.g., because of these experiences, I learn how to ...). In doing so, employers are likely to feel that they know you and recognize you as someone who can be as successful as them. Remember people often like to hire themselves (i.e., someone who thinks like themselves). Employers are there to interview you because they are (and they think they are) 'successful.' Remind them that you have something similar to your 'successful' employers.

Note: The purpose of this post is to share evidence-based insights with practitioners. I choose a high-quality article from a prestigious academic journal with the hope that practitioners can make an informed decision in the workplace.

Rivera, L. A. (2012). Hiring as cultural matching: The case of elite professional service firms. American sociological review, 77(6), 999-1022.