Have you considered how your company’s values play into your hiring strategy? Studies suggest that values are a top priority for 77% of candidates when considering working for an organization.
Sadly, a lot of organizations don’t think twice about their values after they’ve been ‘established’. But the truth is, company values play a key role in your recruiting strategy! Here are just a few of the ways in which company values can make or break your talent pipeline.
Determines What Candidates You Attract
Company values speak volumes, and can have a significant impact on what sort of candidates apply to join your team. In the last decade, there has been a shift towards a stronger emphasis on fulfillment and sense of purpose. People now look to their jobs to provide much more than just a paycheck, and feeling invested in the work they do is becoming a non-negotiable for a lot of people across a breadth of industries. When searching for a job, candidates don’t just read the role description, they also seek out information about the mission, vision, and values they’ll be working for.
Tells Your Brand’s Story
Storytelling is the most effective way to connect with your target audience — whether that is potential clients, investors, or candidates. Your brand should tell a story that is compelling, and spotlighting your company values helps accomplish that goal. Anyone who looks at your organization should get the sense that you stand for something. Show the world that your team is passionate about what they do because of the impact their work has on the world. Don’t just list your values though, tell the story behind the why and how so that others will feel moved to join the movement.
Establishes a Culture & Code of Conduct
Company culture is increasingly important in the modern world of work, and it plays a big role in how effectively (and sustainably) your team functions. When your company values are at the forefront of all of your endeavors, from client work to internal interactions and beyond, your culture will be nurtured to be in line with your vision, rather than an unsupervised product of whatever happens happens. Positive, values-aligned company culture has been demonstrated to be a top consideration for job applicants, and continues on an upward trend.
Defines Your Organization’s Reputation
Your business’s reputation is determined by a number of factors, including candidate experience, employee satisfaction, client success, and company culture, to name a few. You may not realize, but your company values also play into your organization’s reputation. If your work does not actively stand for something, demonstrating those values in both the day-to-day and the grand scheme, then your reputation will suffer. If you contradict your values, then trust will waiver. And of course, when your reputation takes a hit, so too does your talent pipeline.
Motivates Employees
People don’t just want to be cogs in the machine — they want to have a positive impact on the world. When your team is driven by passion for the values behind the work that they do, the results will of course be stronger. Employees who feel genuinely engaged with the big-picture impact of the organization are more likely to work harder and increase your bottom line.
Are you able to quickly and clearly identify your company values, as well as how they are upheld? Would your employees be able to do the same? What about your job applicants? Company values may seem fluffy, but their weight shouldn’t be underestimated. Your company values should be woven into your organization’s identity, because consumers and candidates alike are prioritizing the notion of ‘purpose-driven’ more than ever before.
