>It's shorthand for "I think they could probably do the work, but I don't think that I/we could actually stand working with this particular candidate".
Agreed, but in my experience, "don't think we could stand working with this candidate" is much more than talking about assholes/weirdos. It's also the catch-all for things like "our team likes to go out to bars and clubs all the time, and you don't seem like you enjoy going out", or "we tell raunchy jokes at work and you seem like you would be offended by it and make us stop", or even "you seem like you're on the opposite side of the political spectrum than we are so we think we wouldn't want to work with you".
Hell, I've even seen teams at a consulting company (and seen HR defend such teams) reject candidates for being vegetarian, because the team thinks that there wouldn't be "culture fit" since the team likes going out for burgers and steak every week.
I’m glad at least someone can use specific examples. These are the kinds of reasons that come to mind when explaining what a “cultural fit” rejection is about. It’s not that the candidate is an asshole or toxic. It’s that he’s not enough like the interviewers.
I once had in interviewer ask me what I thought about going to football games as team building events (this was not a job that had anything to do with sports). I knew where that job opportunity was going...
Agreed, but in my experience, "don't think we could stand working with this candidate" is much more than talking about assholes/weirdos. It's also the catch-all for things like "our team likes to go out to bars and clubs all the time, and you don't seem like you enjoy going out", or "we tell raunchy jokes at work and you seem like you would be offended by it and make us stop", or even "you seem like you're on the opposite side of the political spectrum than we are so we think we wouldn't want to work with you".
Hell, I've even seen teams at a consulting company (and seen HR defend such teams) reject candidates for being vegetarian, because the team thinks that there wouldn't be "culture fit" since the team likes going out for burgers and steak every week.