Measuring Culture Fit
Most tech companies assess culture fit in one of two ways—similar to Microsoft or Amazon. This lesson is based on a study by Ammon Bartram, cofounder of Triplebyte, who interviewed 50+ hiring managers from top tech companies and high-growth startups to understand how they measure culture fit.
The takeaway? Before an interview, figure out which model the company follows and tailor that to your prep.
Behavioral versus culture fit interviews
Behavioral and culture fit interviews are similar, but not identical:
- Behavioral interviews focus on your past work experience.
- Culture fit interviews assess your values, collaboration style, and decision-making alignment—and may not be tied to your work history.
Some companies (like Amazon) combine both into one round. Others (like Airbnb) separate behavioral and culture fit interviews.
What are the two dominant models of culture fit?
Here’s a high-level overview of the two main models companies use to assess culture fit.
1. The Microsoft way
Roughly 80% of tech companies follow Microsoft’s approach to culture fit. Rather than screening for a precise culture profile, they focus on avoiding red flags, such as:
- Lack of motivation
- Poor communication
- Blaming others (the opposite of ownership)
- Lack of introspection
As long as you show these four traits universally liked by all companies, you’ll be a good culture fit:
- Be friendly and collaborative
- Competent with the job
- Demonstrate ownership
- Communicate clearly
How to spot it
Check the company’s values. Microsoft-style companies have familiar values. For example:
- Microsoft: Growth Mindset, Customer Obsessed, Inclusion, One Microsoft
- Salesforce: Trust, Innovation, Equality, Customer Success, Sustainability
Fun fact: The Customer Obsessed value was directly lifted from Amazon!
These values are widely shared and not distinctive, putting these companies in the Microsoft-style category.
2. The Amazon way
About ~20% of companies take Amazon’s more rigorous, values-driven approach. They screen for culture fit by measuring how well candidates align to their company-specific values—traits that stand out from the industry norm. That means these companies deserve a more specific kind of interview prep.
How to spot it
Look for values that are specific and unusual:
- Amazon: “Are Right, A Lot,” “Have Backbone; Disagree and Commit,” “Dive Deep,” “Strive to be Earth’s Best Employer”
- Stripe: “Be exothermic” (radiate energy)
- Airbnb: “Be a cereal entrepreneur”
Companies that mix or copy values from others
Trust but verify. If a company’s values include one standout value, like Customer Obsession, but the rest are run-of-the-mill, they likely still follow the Microsoft way.
The overall pattern looks like this:
- Microsoft-style -> status quo values you’ve seen before
- Amazon-style -> unique values you haven’t seen before
How to prep
By the end of the interview, your goal is to clearly demonstrate the specific traits that company values. The best way to prep for an Amazon-style company is to do a mock interview with a former (or current) interviewer from that company who hires for your target role and level.
A third way: the gut feel test
Roughly 5% of companies use a “gut feel” approach—deciding based on likeability (“Do I like you?”) or chemistry.
It gets phrased in all kinds of informal ways:
- “Would I want to get a beer with this person?”
- “Would I want to be stranded on a layover with this person?”
- “Would I want to do a bug bash at 8 p.m. on a Tuesday night with this person?”
This is the most subjective and biased way to assess culture fit. Startups might unintentionally bake this into their culture screen. For example, if you’re hired at Google, you’re one of 1,000s of engineers. At a startup, you might be one of 10. The culture fit bar is much higher, and for that reason, similarity (or how much you seem to fit in) can carry more weight.
Key takeaways
Before you do a culture fit round, figure out whether a company follows the Microsoft or Amazon style, and then prep accordingly:
- Know the company’s style: Microsoft = common values; Amazon = unique values
- Tailor accordingly: Avoid red flags for Microsoft-style. Showcase specific traits for Amazon-style.
- Rare gut-feel model: Possibly more common in startups. To be safe, showcase specific traits.