[Intro: Male Baritone]
"Let's talk culture fit before we end.
Any questions?"

[Intro: Female Applicant]
I squared my notebook on the desk.
"Yes. I wrote down ten."

[Verse 1: Female Applicant]
"What's the salary range for this role?
How many weekends carry on-call work?
Why did three senior engineers leave?
Who owns the overtime after launch?
Can someone turn a weekend call down safely?
What did your latest survey make you change?"

[Chorus: Female Lead]
You don't fit the culture when you ask what it costs.
Who takes the credit? Who absorbs the loss?
You can have the skill and still be shown the door.
Culture fit means never asking what it's for.

[Verse 2: Female Lead]
Her technical score led the interview slate.
Her references backed each line of work.
I wrote "Proceed" beneath the final page.
Victor drew a box beside the word "concern."
"Too focused on the terms. Too hard to steer."
He stamped "No fit" and thanked her for her time.

[Chorus: Female Lead]
You don't fit the culture when you ask what it costs.
Who takes the credit? Who absorbs the loss?
You can have the skill and still be shown the door.
Culture fit means never asking what it's for.

[Instrumental Break: Angular Bass in Uneven Meter]

[Bridge: Female Lead]
"You asked me to restore the trust you spent.
She asked the questions we should answer first."

[Bridge: Male Baritone]
"You're partner to the business, not its critic.
Your job is keeping risk from getting worse."

[Breakdown: Female Lead]
Fit the skill. Name the cost.

[Breakdown: Male Baritone]
Fit the chair. Don't ask the boss.

[Final Chorus: Female Lead with Gang Vocals]
I don't fit a culture hiding labor costs,
or handing out the credit while we take the loss.
Keep your guarded language; keep your guarded door.
I'll ask in every room what culture's for.
June had every skill. Her numbers made you stop.
You stamped "no fit" because she knew the score.

[Outro: Female Lead]
By two, the next invite replaced June's name.
I kept the unsigned page inside her file.
Culture fit.
