How do you align your hiring criteria with your company's mission, vision, and values?

When we started developing our product issues around organization culture, we developed a method by which organizations can find what is their current culture and where they want to move, they need to find people who are willing to learn, adapt and grow in the direction of the organization's values.

Clearly define your company's mission, vision, and values. Ensure that these are well-communicated and understood by all employees.

In today's competitive landscape, hiring isn't just about filling roles; it's about finding the right fit. To ensure alignment with your company's mission, vision, and values, prioritize quality over quantity in your hiring criteria. Look beyond skills and experience; seek candidates whose values resonate with your organization's ethos. This approach fosters a cohesive team culture and strengthens your company from within. #HiringStrategy #CompanyCulture

Part of defining core values is also to ensure that they are well-defined and communicated across the organization. I would work closely with the leadership team and hiring managers to identify the key competencies required to achieve our mission and vision. These may include technical skills, problem-solving abilities, teamwork, adaptability, and customer focus, among others.

Active use of Core values not only as a guiding principles, but also as recruiting tools are key to building consistent culture.

To steal a cliché, start with why? Why do you want to hire someone? In 18 months time if they've done an amazing job, how will you know? Think hard about the purpose and impact of the role, get that on paper first (before a list of never-ending requirements) and use it to drive the rest of the JD.

To expand on that, job descriptions should evolve into what success and achievement actually look like in a role vs. what tasks are expected day-to-day. All too often, job descriptions are like grocery lists. You'll know what ingredients are needed for a meal. Many candidates identify with or possess those 'ingredients.' But the grocery list won't tell you the 'meal' or outcome that is expected of those ingredients! We're asking for the ingredients while we should be asking for the meal.

Reflect on the company's mission, vision, and values in job descriptions. Clearly outline the expectations and behaviors that align with these principles.

First off, get crystal clear on what your company stands for and weave these core values right into your job descriptions. This helps pull in folks who naturally vibe with your culture from the get-go. During interviews, make it a point to ask questions that dig into how candidates have lived out these values in their previous jobs. Also, team up with the hiring manager to set clear, specific goals for the first 90 days. Aim for targets that excite A-players and scare off C-players. This way, you’re more likely to attract TOP talent—people who are not just able to do the job, but who are also pumped to push forward your company's mission.

Absolutely, in the competitive landscape of today, hiring goes beyond just filling roles, it's about finding the right fit for our organization. By prioritizing quality over quantity in our hiring criteria, we can ensure alignment with our company's mission, vision, and values. It's essential to look beyond skills and experience and seek candidates whose values resonate with our organization's ethos.

Behavioral questions allows us to gauge candidates' abilities to handle real-world scenarios and make decisions in line with our company's mission and vision.

Design interview questions that assess candidates' alignment with the company's values. Ask about past experiences and behaviors to gauge if they resonate with the organization's culture.

The risk companies run into when incorporating ‘Culture Fit’ into the interview process is confusing “culture” with “like-mindedness.” HR leaders should be ensuring clearly defined and quantifiable grading systems are in place to prevent bias from influencing hiring decisions.

A practice that's worked well for our startup. Adopting Amazon's Bar Raiser Mechanism. (1) Have an objective third-party member be part of the hiring process (e.g. interview loop and hiring decision). The designated person is not associated with the hiring team, is a steward of the company's values/leadership principles, and has full veto power in the hiring decision. (2) Ensure the person is aware of the hiring practice and is skilled in evaluating talent (e.g. training, experience, etc). (3) The Bar Raiser helps reduce favoritism and bias.

Use assessment tools, such as personality assessments or cultural fit surveys, to evaluate candidates against the company's values.

Incorporating culture fit assessments is like finding that missing puzzle piece for your team. Using proven tests like DISC and Myers-Briggs can provide deep insights into a candidate's potential synergy with your existing team dynamics. It's not just about filling a vacancy, it's about unlocking growth by ensuring new hires are aligned with your company's culture and vision.

Here are some reference check questions from Jeff Stump (Andreessen Horowitz) that you can reframe to be more in line with your values: How long have you known the candidate and how did you come to know him/her? What was your relationship and for how long? How would you describe the candidate from a professional viewpoint? From a personal viewpoint? What was the condition of the business before and after his/her arrival? What did the candidate fail to do and why? Would you hire the candidate in a position requiring what I’ve described to you? Would you be concerned? If you were my client, what would you want to know about the candidate?

By involving your team in the hiring process, you not only benefit from diverse perspectives but also create a sense of ownership and collaboration within the team. This approach helps in making well-informed hiring decisions and promotes a positive workplace culture.

We have later stage candidates observe in company-wide meetings and daily stand ups when we can. There isn't a better way to simulate what some of the typical exchanges are like in a team without this.

While aligning our hiring criteria with the company's mission, vision, and values, it is crucial to foster diversity and inclusion. By actively seeking candidates from diverse backgrounds and ensuring an inclusive hiring process, we can bring in different perspectives and experiences that enrich our organization.

Self-Assessment. Make it a rule that prior to the decision meeting, interviewers must self-complete the inclined/not inclined assessment and not discuss the candidate with other interviewers prior. This helps reduce favoritism and bias.