How Core Values And A Great Company Culture Can Help You Hire

Are you tired of hearing about hiring yet?

I would be…except that it continues to be the single biggest challenge our clients face right now. And what our clients care about matters to me, no matter how many times I’ve heard it.

Hiring is hard—especially in this market, when employees have their pick of desirable jobs. You’re competing with bigger companies that can offer more money and better benefits. 

How is a small business supposed to win?

Over the next few weeks, you’ll see a bit of a “people series” on different techniques that our clients are using to successfully compete for top talent. As we say—often—people are 90% of your success. 

So without further ado, let’s get into it.

Revisiting Your Company Culture

If you want great people, you have to build a great place to work. Period. 

People want work that gives them purpose. You can construe purpose in a way that works for your organization. 

Maybe you prioritize autonomy, giving people control over their schedules and the ability to work from anywhere. Maybe you lean into building a culture where co-workers feel like family.  Or maybe you want a utilitarian team that is extremely capitalistic, where hitting financial targets is what makes people smile.

Not every culture is right for every employee. But for the right employees, you do to make them smile. 

So, who are you? You may have spent a lot of time thinking about who you are with respect to your customers. It’s worth taking the time to determine who you are with respect to your employees as well.

Any company can have an amazing culture. You don’t have to have the coolest product (or even be cool at all) to provide a great work environment. 

But whoever you are, be that thing loud and proud. Filter that message into your careers page, job descriptions, interview process, etc. Most importantly, make sure that however you position yourself, it reflects the reality inside your company. 

You can’t just sell an employee on the idea of culture—you have to actually live it.

If you don’t have core values yet, I recommend beginning there. Check out this article to get started with your company’s core values.

Already have core values? Great. Now, ask yourself how well those core values shine through in your hiring process. If you need to tweak your job descriptions, spice up your careers page, or shift the way you run candidate screenings, do it. 

Finding people who are as passionate about your values as you are is one way to win the hiring game. It starts with knowing, and sharing, those values unapologetically.

P.S. Do your core values need a refresh? If you’re working with one of our consultants, reach out. If you aren’t, ask how we can help you.