How can you help to promote your company values, vision and culture when interviewing potential new starters?

Hiring Managers! How can you help to promote your company values, vision and culture when interviewing potential new starters?

We all know that culture is one of the key things that can attract new people (it was probably one of the things that attracted you too, remember). But this is often something that is addressed more by HR or TA, and split out from the more technical interview with the Hiring Managers.

If you are interviewing someone yourself, and if your interview is more of a technical one, you can still explore 'cultural fit' and promote your company's culture yourself, even if it is subtle. After all, you want to be sure yourself that the person who will be joining your team is going to work well with you and others.

Here are some ideas:

- Start the interview in a warm way, by introducing yourself and sharing something about your own background and interests. The candidate's response will give you an idea of how they build rapport.

- Tell a story about something that has happened recently in your team. Perhaps someone has been promoted, won an award or completed a project successfully. Again, gauge the candidate's response. Do they sound interested and excited to be a part of your team culture? If they don’t provide much of a response, maybe this is a concern.

- Towards the end of the interview, ask if they have any questions for you. If the candidate doesn’t have questions, or if they only ask fairly standard ones about 'progression', maybe this is a concern. If the candidate seems genuinely interested, makes reference to things you said earlier in the conversation, and has clearly done their research, these are very positive signs.

If you are a Hiring Manager who has interviewed people before, what other tips would you give?​