The war for talent is raging and it’s not going to end anytime soon. In fact, it’s only getting more intense as time goes on. People are also changing jobs much more frequently than they used to, often having new roles within a given company and even switching industries entirely. This shift has caused candidates to have higher standards than ever before when applying for jobs. They no longer look at roles primarily from the lens of whether or not the job will pay their bills, but instead from a lens of whether the role makes them happy with their life and career in general.
We outlined this whole phenomenon in our blog post about how millennials are leading the war for talent , but one of the key insights we gained from that article was that employees want to know what company culture means beyond just offering free snacks and lunches on Fridays; they want to understand if there is an intentional effort being made by leadership and hiring managers towards creating a purpose-driven organization where people can be happy, fulfilled, and productive members of society.
Why you should build a purpose-driven hiring process
First and foremost, you want to create a purpose-driven hiring process because it aligns with the expectations that candidates have when they are looking for work. When you’re able to articulate that your company culture is built around a core set of values, you’re showing candidates that they will not just be getting a job but they will also be finding a purpose that they care deeply about.
Because no one wants to be bored in their career, having a purpose-driven hiring process is a great way to attract top talent and retain them for the long-haul. What’s more, it’s not just about your company culture and hiring fit candidates who are passionate about the work they do. You also have to make sure that candidates are a cultural fit with each other and the existing employees. A hiring process built around purpose will help you do this.
Define what culture means to your organization
There are a number of different core values and cultural keynotes that organizations use to define and guide their culture. Before you can go about hiring to fit this blueprint, you first have to clearly define what that blueprint looks like. These core values and cultural keys can take a number of different forms but they usually fall in one of two categories: aspirational or pragmatic. Aspirational values are ones that inspire people to do better and be better.
Pragmatic values are more focused on what people need to do to be successful in their roles. The first step in defining what culture means to your organization is to sit down with your leadership team and ask the question, “What do we want our company culture to be?” You can then use these conversations to come up with a list of core values or cultural keys that define your company culture.
Define the type of person you want to hire
Once you have a clear vision of what culture means to your organization and you’ve defined the core values that make up that culture, the next step is to define the type of person you want to hire. This is essentially a job description for the ideal candidate for the role, with the added caveat that you are describing the type of person you want to hire for the company as a whole.
For example, if you’re hiring for a sales position and one of your core values is “service,” one thing you might want to write in the job description is that you want someone who “brings a sense of pride and urgency to every customer interaction while being mindful of the customer’s time.”
Implement an interview process that evaluates for cultural fit
One of the most important parts of the hiring process is the interview. The interview, ideally, is the time when you and your hiring manager(s) get to dig into the details of the candidate’s background and experience and see if they’re a good fit for the position and company. However, when most hiring managers and executives are conducting interviews, they are doing so without a clear cultural filter.
This can cause you to hire people who are technically qualified for the job but don’t fit the core values that make up your company culture. One way to mitigate this is to implement a cultural interview as part of your hiring process.
As you can see from this article, the hiring process is the first opportunity you have to show candidates what the company culture is like and how they can contribute. When you build a hiring process that is purpose-driven, you are not only attracting better candidates but you are also giving them a better experience overall.
This is because when candidates know that they are joining a company where they can make a positive impact, they will feel more confident in their decision to join. This will also help you retain employees because they will feel more fulfilled and engaged with their work.
