Cultural Assessment Tools

If your multicultural campaign planning starts with “Which languages should we translate into?”, you’re leaving serious opportunity on the table. If you're an Australian-based marketer or comms professional, you know that an effective campaign strategy starts with deeply understanding your audience. And understanding your “multicultural audience” goes well beyond knowing which languages your audience speaks. So here’s a little visual representation I’ve put together using ABS Census data from 2021. Yes, the data is a few years old now, but the point remains. This image shows the median age of people in Australia who speak a language other than English, and who speak English “not well” or “not at all”. As you can see, the “who” behind your multicultural campaign can look vastly different. While it can be convenient to think about “multicultural” or “Culturally and Linguistically Diverse” audiences as one broad campaign audience, the reality is far more nuanced. Non-English speaking audiences are many distinct audiences, with different demographics, migration histories, levels of English proficiency, cultural contexts and communication needs. A campaign targeting Thai speakers will almost certainly require a very different approach from one targeting Italian speakers. Think media consumption habits, preferred channels, messaging, literacy levels, family influence, trusted voices, cultural references and the role of community organisations. That’s why multicultural strategy needs to be tailored to the audience, instead of built around language selection alone. It’s also why at Ethnolink we put so much time, effort and investment into multicultural strategy for our clients’ campaigns. The best campaigns start with insight. They show a deep and authentic understanding of the audience they’re trying to reach. Did any of this surprise you? #multicultural #communications #CALD #culturaldiversity #translation

The million-dollar hiring secret: Culture over skills. Hiring for "culture" isn't just trendy - it really does transform a team. When you get the dynamics right, productivity, retention, and morale all skyrocket. But how do you find that perfect person? The one who doesn’t just tick the boxes, but elevates the whole team? I’ve been there. Early on, I focused on those who had the right experience. I thought hiring someone who could hit the ground running was the key to success. But I quickly learned that when someone’s values clash with your company culture, it affects everyone. That experience taught me this: cultural fit matters just as much as skills. Now, I’m fortunate to work with a high-performing team, built by hiring for culture first and skills second. By focusing on this, we've created not just a high-performing team, but a resilient one. When your team aligns with company values, they stay longer, collaborate better, and contribute more meaningfully to the team’s success. Of course, leadership also plays a big role in why people stay or leave - but that’s a post for another day! Here are the top questions I ask to assess culture fit: 1️⃣ Describe a work environment you loved. What made it special? ↳ This reveals their values and what they need to grow. 2️⃣ Tell me about a time you disagreed with a company decision. How did you handle it? ↳ Their answer shows how they approach conflict and express concerns. 3️⃣ What’s the most creative idea you’ve implemented in a previous role? ↳ This highlights their problem-solving skills and initiative. 4️⃣ How do you prefer to receive feedback, and how often? ↳ This uncovers their communication style and openness to growth. 5️⃣ Can you share an example of a mistake you made at work and how you handled it? ↳ This demonstrates accountability and adaptability. And my favourite, inspired by Simon Sinek: 6️⃣ "I hate surprises. Can you tell me something that might go wrong now so I won’t be surprised later?" ↳ This question tests honesty, foresight, and self-awareness, while starting an open dialogue about challenges. When you go beyond the traditional surface-level questions, you’ll discover more than skills. This is how you can uncover how well a candidate aligns with your team’s values and dynamics. 👉 What questions do you use to identify a good culture fit? ♻️ Share this post to help your network build stronger teams. 🔔 Follow me, Jen Blandos, for actionable daily insights on business, entrepreneurship, and workplace well-being.

The Victorian Parliament’s Inquiry into Community Consultation Practices provides a detailed look at how government agencies, local councils and essential service providers engage with communities across the state. Reading through it, one thing is obvious. We talk a lot about engagement in this state, but we still design processes that leave too many people out. For multicultural communities the gaps are even wider. Consultation is often late, rushed, unclear and inaccessible. It is no surprise that people feel unheard. The report confirms what many of us see every day: ❌ Language access is inconsistent. ❌ Information is not always provided in formats people can understand. ❌ Consultation methods rely heavily on digital platforms. ❌ Formal submissions only suit confident English speakers. ❌Communities aren't being told how their contribution will be used. This is not consultation. It is extraction. If we want genuine engagement, we need to treat it as real work. That means non negotiables that respect people’s time and expertise: 💚 Pay people for participating. 💚 Provide multilingual information. 💚 Engage interpreters and translators to facilitate communication. 💚 Partner with trusted organisations. 💚 Create safe spaces where people can speak openly. 💚 Start early, not after decisions are already made. 💚 Be transparent about what is possible and what is not. The report calls for stronger standards and more consistent practice across government. That is welcome, but standards alone will not shift culture. We need a mindset that sees community knowledge as essential, not optional. Multicultural communities carry deep insight into what works and what does not. When we ignore that knowledge, we make poorer decisions and widen inequality. Victoria’s diversity is one of our greatest strengths. Consultation should reflect that. It should be accessible, multilingual, respectful and properly resourced. Anything less is not engagement. It is a missed opportunity to build a fairer and more connected state.

It's frustrating to hear 'they just won't fit in' after we've sourced, screened, and interviewed a candidate who aced everything—only to be rejected by an ambiguous vibe check. In HR, I often see culture fit often measured too vaguely. It needs to be clear and intentional. Work with your team to define what you're screening for in a structured way—focusing on behaviors, values, and goals, rather than superficial similarities. Because here's the thing: when everyone thinks alike, you miss out on fresh ideas and creative solutions. Innovation thrives on diversity. -> So, how do you move from "culture fit" to "culture add"? 1. Start by defining the culture: Focus on the behaviors you want to reward, and the values and goals that truly matter. Don't settle for superficial alignment. 2. Welcome diverse perspectives, from new candidates & employees: - Seek candidates who bring fresh ideas and unique experiences. Ensure your existing culture embraces challenging ideas and encourages unconventional thinking. 3. Screen for adaptability instead: - Look for candidates who are open to growth and change. They will help your team thrive in the long run. My takeaway: don't just hire for culture fit. Hire for culture add. Bring in people who will enrich your team with new perspectives and drive your business forward, in a more interesting and unique way. Have you seen this happen in your own hiring process? How are you rethinking the culture-fit part of your interviews? --- #HR #Innovation #DiversityAndInclusion #CultureAdd #HiringStrategy #TeamBuilding #Leadership

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟮𝗻𝗱 𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗸, 𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝟮: 𝘊𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘍𝘪𝘵 Few phrases in HR are as widely used, or as loosely defined, as "culture fit." We say we hire for it. We train interviewers to assess it. We reject candidates who "wouldn't fit in." But what do we actually mean? 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝘁: Organisations with strong, cohesive cultures perform better. People who share values collaborate more easily. Hiring someone who doesn't align with those values can disrupt team dynamics and slow down execution. A single misfire can ripple across a department. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝘁: Too often, "fit" becomes a proxy for comfort. Someone who looks like us, talks like us, and thinks like us. That kind of fit doesn't build better teams. It builds blind spots. Some organisations have moved to "culture add" instead, hiring for what a candidate brings that the team currently lacks. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗹𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱: Perhaps the question isn't whether to hire for fit, but how to define it. Values alignment matters. Conformity doesn't. The challenge is distinguishing between the two in an interview process that naturally favours people who remind us of ourselves. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴: How many strong candidates have we passed on because they didn't "fit", and what did we lose as a result? #DrJaclynLee #The2ndLook #CultureFit #Hiring #HRPractices #HRLeadership

🌎🌎"Cultural fit" is costing you your best culturally diverse hires — and it sounds completely reasonable while it does it. Here's what I've noticed working with leaders who manage culturally diverse teams: The bias in hiring rarely shows up as something obvious. ✨It shows up as a gut feeling. ✨A panel debrief where everyone agrees the candidate was "just a bit flat." ✨A score that's hard to justify, but everyone nods at. And the candidate who gets passed over? Often deeply qualified — just shaped by different cultural norms, such as: ➡️Pausing before answering reads as uncertainty. ➡️Modest framing of achievements reads as a lack of ownership. ➡️Building context before getting to the point reads as disorganization. None of those are signs of a weak candidate. They're signs of a different cultural training. The shift I'd ask every hiring manager to make: → Separate communication style from communication quality. Can you follow their reasoning? Is it sound? That's what matters. → Treat bilingualism and global experience as signal, not noise. Someone who navigates multiple languages and contexts daily has a skill most teams desperately need. → Build structure that reduces the weight of "feel." Behavioral questions with defined evaluation criteria leave less room for cultural familiarity to masquerade as competence. 🎯🎯Inclusive hiring isn't about adjusting what you expect from candidates. It's about being honest about where your expectations came from. The talent is there. The question is whether your process is designed to see it. ❓❓What's one thing your organization has done to make interviews more equitable across cultures — and did it actually change who got hired? ☎️☎️ If you're leading a multicultural team and want to unlock the hidden potential already inside your organization, let's talk. 🔗 🔗 The link is on my banner. #MasteringCulturalDifferences #CulturallyDiverseHiring #CrossCulturalLeadership #TalentAcquisition 

Stop hiring for “culture fit.” It’s bias with better branding. Culture isn’t about “liking” someone or feeling chemistry. Culture is how work gets done. Hire for that. Here’s the playbook I teach the leaders I work with: 𝟭. 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗮 𝗛𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 • Mission: why the role exists • Outcomes: what success looks like in 6–12 months • Competencies: the behaviours that deliver those outcomes    If you can’t write this in plain English, you’re not ready to hire. 𝟮. 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗮𝘅𝗲𝘀 • Fit — will they thrive in how you work today • Add — will they strengthen the team with new perspective • Adapt — can they grow with where you’re going You’re not looking for “same.” You’re looking for “effective today, better tomorrow.” 𝟯. 𝗔𝘀𝗸 𝗳𝗲𝘄𝗲𝗿, 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 • “Tell me about a time you owned X end-to-end. What changed for the business?” • “What’s the toughest disagreement you resolved at work. How did you decide?” • “Walk me through a decision you made with incomplete data. Why that path?” Drive depth. Push for actions, trade-offs, measurable impact. 𝟰. 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗱𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗷𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 Tie every question to outcomes and competencies. Use a 1–4 scale with no middle option. Require 1–2 lines of evidence per score. 𝟱. 𝗥𝘂𝗻 𝗮 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗳𝗹𝗼𝘄 0–5 min: set context, create safety, invite their agenda 5–10: frame mission, outcomes, how you work 10–45: high-signal questions, go deep rather than wide 45–55: their questions 55–60: reflect key signals, outline next steps 𝟲. 𝗗𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗳 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝘁 Everyone submits scorecards first. Start with evidence, not opinions. HiPPO (highest paid person’s opinion) speaks last. 𝟳. 𝗘𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺 How they prepare, schedule, follow up, and clarify. Those are your culture signals. Treat every touchpoint as data. If you want managers to hire this way, train them. At School of Hiring, we turn this into simple systems. At Klareda, we power these systems with AI. Because clarity is half the problem solved.

A new paper published from me today: "International students and everyday multiculturalism: Rethinking 'connection' through mundane sites of encounter" Available open access at: https://lnkd.in/e27xueb6 This paper was co-written with Daian Huang, Limanzi Xu, Mumine Ozturk, and Karen Healey (who are joint second authors), and the work was kindly funded by the DAAD German Academic Exchange Service. ABSTRACT Dominant narratives of international students in the existing literature paint them as ‘missing’ or living ‘in parallel’ to their local communities, predominantly through evaluating the composition of their friendship networks. In this study, we query whether the use of a new conceptual framework can provide alternative explanations for these deficit framings. Using the lens of ‘everyday multiculturalism’, we explore instead how (international) students encounter, enact, and engage with multiculturalism in their local communities in more micro ways through banal acts of daily living. This has been developed through interviews with 41 international and home students across four cities in Germany, using a photo elicitation method and centring narrative storytelling. This study finds that micro sites of encounter, such as rubbish bins and bus rides, are symbolised by students as meaningful spaces of multicultural encounter and learning. We further reflect on how everyday multiculturalism holds a dual function as a site of experienced xenophobia and racism, as well as spaces where stereotypes are confirmed. Together this highlights the value of alternative conceptual frameworks for critiquing deficit framings of international students’ connections to multicultural societies by highlighting how they are multicultural society.

I Promoted 12 People Who All Thought Like Me. Then Our Innovation Stopped. Last year, I looked at my leadership team. Eight directors, all similar: Similar background, similar thinking style, similar way of approaching problems. Same playbook. Different people. Innovation flatlined. That's when I realized: I wasn't building a team. I was cloning myself. The Pattern (How It Happened): Story 1: The Contrarian Who Got Filtered Rahul questioned our product strategy in interviews. Challenged assumptions. Different thinking. I didn't hire him. Feedback: "Not aligned with our culture." Actual translation: "Thinks differently than us." He built that product at a competitor. Beat us to market by 8 months. Story 2: The Unconventional Thinker Priya had a non-traditional background (not from our usual schools, didn't follow a typical career path). HR flagged her: "Will she fit?" We passed. The competitor hired her. She led their biggest innovation in 5 years. Story 3: The Risk-Taker Vikram wanted to experiment with new approaches. We'd always done it the proven way. Told him: "We need people who understand how we operate." He left. Now heads innovation at a startup. Built a ₹100 crore business. What Actually Happened: I optimized for "culture fit." Translated: "People who think like me." Result: Rooms full of yes-men agreeing on the same problems, same solutions, same mistakes. No friction. No challenge. No growth. The Shift: Culture fit ≠ culture alignment. Culture fit: Same personality, same background, same thinking. Culture alignment: Same values, different perspectives. I was conflating them. One kills innovation. One creates it. The Real Cost: We missed three market shifts because nobody questioned our assumptions. Competition moved faster because they hired different thinkers. By the time we realized we needed diversity, we'd lost 18 months of innovation. What Changed: Started hiring for "will they make us smarter?" instead of "will they fit?" Hired the contrarian. The unconventional. The risk-taker. First three months: Friction. Debate. Discomfort. Month four: New product direction. Better strategy. Year one: ₹25 crore in new revenue from innovations we would've missed. The Uncomfortable Truth: "Culture fit" is how homogeneous teams justify staying homogeneous. We call it culture. It's actually comfort. Diverse thinking isn't a DEI checkbox. It's a competitive advantage. 💡 Culture fit filters for clones. Culture alignment allows for misfits. Stop hiring people who think like you. Start hiring people who make you think differently. Innovation doesn't come from agreement. It comes from friction between different perspectives. Are your promotions creating clones or creating diversity? #Leadership #Innovation #Diversity #CultureFit #TeamBuilding #CXOFrontier