Cultural fit is not a merit criterion
"Team fit" is where merit reviews go to find defects.
“Cultural fit” is one of the most commonly cited, and most commonly misused, criteria in recruitment. Used loosely, it is where unconscious bias enters the process.
The merit principle focuses on capacity to achieve outcomes related to the duties. If “fit” means the candidate can collaborate, navigate stakeholders, and operate in an APS environment, name those as behavioural capabilities and assess them directly. If “fit” means the candidate reminds the panel of themselves, it is not a merit consideration, and it will not survive review.
The test: can the panel articulate “fit” as a specific, observable behaviour the role requires? If not, strike it.
Search your panel’s language for “fit,” “click,” “gel.” Replace each instance with a specific behavioural capability, or remove it.