Company Culture - A Key Marker in Recruitment
For many years I drove the recruitment for my company at the premier business schools in the country.
After the initial elimination rounds of interviews were over, you were often then left with the best in class. After the final funneling process only a few students whom you considered were the top cream were shortlisted. But this often also became the most difficult time for decision-making.
Like Peas in a Pod
I was once left with a difficult choice where I had to recruit one out of the two best. Both had impressed our interview panels equally. Both were charming. Both were intelligent. Both had answered all our questions with amazing alacrity. Frankly I would not have known how to decide. I almost felt like tossing a coin.
Know your company’s personality
And then I looked back at the kind of company we were. We were a little shy and introverted. The kind who would step back from the press rather than charm them. In many ways that was also the personality of our CEO. A wee bit understated. Not showy. A wee bit reticent. That reflected in everything we did. Our clothes. Our offices. Our people. But we were the no 1 in our industry. And our closest competitor was breathing down our neck.
Our closest competitor was No 2
The CEO of our closest competitor on the other hand was a complete showman. He was a well-known personality. Appeared frequently in the press. Was a well-known theatre person. Aggressive. He was a star. And the company matched his traits. They had excellent people too, but their personalities were very different. They were brash and aggressive like their CEO. And to top it all they were great professionals.
The wonderful thing was that we secretly admired each other although we were so different.
Match your employee’s personality to your company
Once I had figured this out the choice was easy. A & B were both excellent. But somehow I felt A was more our kind of personality. And B was more our competitors personality.
I selected A. Our competitors happily grabbed B.
Both A & B shone in their respective companies rising to the very top. I would hate to think what would have happened the other way around!
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Head of the Career Development Centre in University of Galway. Leads a high performing team that empowers students to become self-agents of their own career journey, advocate of Diversity & Inclusion and loves technology
8 年I think you hired the wrong person. Fit for culture is good but it results in Diversity Bias. Sometimes it's good to be open minded to change.
Proprietor
8 年If there is no culture either with the organisation or an individual, it's going downwards which one cannot identify by looking from outside. If there is no culture, we must inculcate it to develop and prosper.
Corpcomm, HR & Admn at Inventys Research Company
8 年Absolutely bang on. I went into an agency where the culture was not in sync with my thoughts.besides an unsupportive character called boss. Quickly changed gears and reached the ideal agency where the culture was appropriate.
Entrepreneurship. Agile Innovations. Leadership Development. Digital Transformation. Strategic Culture Change. Consulting.
8 年Culture add or culture fit? Is culture a permanent thing in the company or does culture change to align to changing business environment and new company strategies? I think culture is most highly talked about topic in organizations, but maybe the least understood. Change/innovation vs stability? I think the key is to hire based on the fundamental core values of the organization -- uncompromisingly but see culture as something more fluid where you hire adaptive people and people who can embrace diversity to continuously engine collaboration and innovation. The best ideas came from people with different perspectives than people who thought the same way and tend to preserve the status quo.
Recruitment Specialist- Studying CIPD Assoc
8 年A Good / Healthy Corporate Culture is very important for Employee Loyalty, Retention and Development as well as for Employers to Attract the best staff!