Overheard a hiring manager say 'culture fit is just code for like us'

Was grabbing coffee near the office in Denver and caught two HR people talking. One said culture fit is just a way to reject people who don't look or act like you. Made me rethink every interview I ever bombed for being 'too different'. Has anyone else felt this was the real reason they got passed over?

2 comments

2 Comments

theabennett2d ago

Had a friend who interviewed at a marketing firm in Boulder years ago. She wore a vintage blazer she loved and talked about her punk band on the weekends. They passed her over for someone who "fits the team better." Later she found out the guy they hired wore the same Patagonia vest as the boss every single day.

seth_nguyen1d ago

That story is basically the whole argument for dressing like everyone else in one tiny package. I mean, it's wild how much people in those creative fields still want you to look like a safe, predictable version of creative. Maybe it's just me but wearing the same vest as the boss is such a clear signal of "I will not challenge anything" that it's almost funny. The vintage blazer and punk band thing probably freaked them out because it showed actual personality and independence. Idk, seems like a lot of places say they want original thinkers but what they really want is someone who thinks original thoughts in a Patagonia vest.