One of the most effective ways to build a team with the desired Cultural DNA is to hire people who are a perfect match with the type of culture your company strives for. But how do you make sure you don’t just reach suitable people, but actually hire the right ones?

In a tight labor market, there’s not always a lot of choice. Even if you have multiple candidates, the question remains: how do you identify a true cultural fit? And how do you make sure that 'culture fit' doesn’t become an excuse for superficial or one-sided choices?
In this deep dive, we’ll show you how to use employer branding and selection as a strategic steering tool for culture. This way, you’ll attract people who fit who you are—and who you want to become.

Every employer already has, whether you want it or not, an 'Employer Brand'. The only question is: does the message you send to potential employees actually fit who you really are, and does it help attract the right candidates? To achieve that, you’ll need to go beyond just a photo of your ping-pong table, mentioning team outings or listing ‘perks’ that you offer your employees.

Building an effective Employer Brand might feel like something only bigger employer brands have the budget and time for. But nothing could be further from the truth. Although every Employer Brand is ultimately tailor-made, exactly the same principles apply to every employer—big or small:

What makes your organization special from the inside? What drives you, where do you want to go, and how do you want to get there? The answers to these questions form the foundation of your employer brand.
The Why, How & What of a company are the basis for all other levels of the Employer Brand: culture, team rituals, rewards, growth opportunities. If that foundation is lacking—or doesn’t truly match reality—then building and maintaining a consistent and effective Employer Brand is simply not possible.

The power of good employer branding isn’t about appealing to as many people as possible, but about attracting the right ones. Yet the most common mistake is that employers try to look as attractive as possible to as wide an audience as possible. Ironically, that simply leads to a vague and undistinguished profile.

It’s much more effective to make clear choices. Be explicit about your mission, the type of team you’re looking for, and the behaviors that will help your organization move forward. Yes, that means you’ll be excluding some people. But it does attract people who consciously choose your story. By expressing clearly, directly, and consistently what you want to achieve and the Cultural DNA you’re aiming for, you’ll build an employer brand that resonates with the right candidates.

The truly talented candidates want to work somewhere they can develop professionally and contribute to the team’s development. Anyone can claim that culture, talent development and personal growth are important. But it’s much more convincing to show candidates how you actually do this in practice. So go a step further than superficial promises and show, in detail, how your team brings your intended Cultural DNA to life in daily collaboration and team development.

Good employer branding ensures that the right people apply. But that’s only the beginning. How do you recognize who truly fits your team—both in terms of skills and culture?

Many selection processes are too vague or too gut-feeling driven. Candidates become hard to compare, and choices are often made on intuition rather than the right criteria. That’s risky. So how do you select rigorously for both skills and Cultural DNA? How do you involve your team, without muddying the decision-making? And how do you keep the process moving quickly, without compromising on quality?

Position your organization as a place for ambitious people. Use language about ‘setting the bar high’, ‘thinking big’ and ‘achieving results’. Show that performance is rewarded—and that there’s room for growth.

Screen for discipline, ownership, and results-driven mindset. Use cases or assessments that demonstrate how someone performs under pressure, takes ownership, and strives for goals. Ensure a clear and tight process with well-defined expectations.

Show how employees contribute daily to customer impact. Use customer stories as a mirror and reveal the complexity of customer relationships. Illustrate that customer satisfaction isn’t just a metric, but a shared goal.

Use open assignments, challenges or creative cases. Assess how someone thinks, dares to experiment, and learns from failure. Allow room for dialog and look beyond the perfect resume.

Show that you make space for new ideas and that making mistakes is part of progress. Demonstrate how you foster innovation—from open brainstorms to true product breakthroughs.

Use open assignments, challenges or creative cases. Assess how someone thinks, dares to experiment, and learns from failure. Allow room for dialog and look beyond the perfect resume.

Position your organization as a strong collective. Share team stories, show how you collaborate across roles and departments, and highlight what shared success looks like.

Assess for collaborative ability, open communication and team focus. Use group interviews or joint case studies. Let candidates meet different team members—after all, chemistry and team dynamics matter.

Put your mission front and center. Show what you contribute to—and how employees are directly part of it. Demonstrate your values and show your societal commitment genuinely (not just in marketing).

Screen for values and personal motivation. Ask about moments where someone contributed to something greater than themselves. Include ethical dilemmas in your process and involve employees strongly connected to your mission.