The Elusive "Fit"

What distinguishes one good candidate from another when it comes down to final selection? Ask HR, hiring managers, and recruiters, and often the answer is "fit." It can be frustrating to get this response when you're trying to figure out why you didn't get an offer, and it might sound like a pat reply or even a means to get out of telling you the truth. But fit, in fact, is often the deciding factor.

To add confusion, fit is hard to define and impossible to standardize. At some companies it might mean that you align with their mission and clearly defined cultural traits. Other places, though, it can simply mean that they "liked" the chosen candidate better - felt more comfortable with him/her and could easily envision working together.

You can't fight it, but there are a few things you can do to influence fit in your favor:

• Be likeable. Be friendly and pleasant, show a genuine interest in the people you meet at the company, and try to draw them out just a bit about themselves and their personal interests. You don't want to overdo it or be insincere, but getting people to talk about themselves is a tried-and-true method of getting them to think of you in a positive light.

• Research the company and its culture, then bring up relevant experiences that show you are in alignment. Traits such as collaboration, initiative, or sense of humor might be what's important at one company, while a nose-to-the-grindstone work ethic and bottom-line results are the culture at another organization. You don't want to be untrue to yourself in making the connections, but by doing your homework you'll know where you can score "fit" points during an interview.

And keep in mind - the fit must be right on both sides.