The myth of cultural fit in recruitment job interviews

Abstract This article aims to examine the complex linguistic and cultural dynamics of recruitment interviews where recruiters played multiple roles of gatekeepers and facilitators by unpacking how “cultural fit” is co‐constructed in recruitment interviews. Drawing on ethnographic data collected from one of the world's largest recruitment agencies, we explore how power dynamics manifest in “friendly” rapport‐building interview conversations between interlocutors of diverse ethnic and linguistic backgrounds in an Inner Circle context. Our analysis shows that candidates are required to play a power game, demonstrating alignment with recruiters’ agendas and complying with recruiters’ dictated level of appropriateness in conversational style, such as formality and code. Candidates who are less familiar with their roles in the power game masked by the conversation style of faking friendship are left at a disadvantage and labeled as unsuitable cultural fit. These findings highlight the previously overlooked influence of recruiters in shaping interview outcomes.