How to Integrate a Company’s Core Values into Recruiting

Recruiting isn’t just about filling open positions—it’s about finding people who will thrive within your organization and amplify its mission. At be the change HR, we’ve found that weaving our core values—calming, caring, reliable, fun, and go-giver—into our recruiting process helps us find candidates who align with our unique culture. Here’s how to make it happen:

Define Your Core Values

Before you can integrate core values into recruiting, you need clarity on what they are. Core values should reflect the principles and priorities that guide your company’s culture and decision-making. For us at be the change HR, our values mean creating a calming presence in the sometimes chaotic HR world (“I feel so much better you are here” is feedback we love to hear from clients), genuinely caring about our clients and candidates, being reliable in every interaction, infusing fun into everything we do, and embodying the go-giver mindset by focusing on how we can contribute to others’ success.

Showcase Core Values in Employer Branding

Your job postings, careers page, and social media profiles should make your core values clear and compelling. Highlight how these values shape your workplace culture, drive your mission, and influence day-to-day operations. For example, our job ads emphasize flexibility and work-life balance while reflecting our fun and heart-driven approach to HR.

Design Values-Driven Job Descriptions

Job descriptions shouldn’t just outline responsibilities and qualifications—they should also emphasize your core values. At be the change HR, we explicitly state that we’re looking for HR professionals who can bring calm to challenging situations, truly care about their craft, and enjoy having fun while delivering exceptional results. Here’s a snippet from one of our job ads:

"You are the face, voice, and heart of this company. Without you, we wouldn’t be ‘be the change HR.’ You bring calm to the sometimes HR storm that can happen. You also know how to have a good time while doing it because let’s be honest, you really love HR. AND you’re not a typical HR person. You’re actually FUN!"

Train Hiring Teams to Evaluate for Values Fit

Ensure your hiring managers and interviewers understand the importance of hiring for values alignment, not just technical skills. At be the change HR, we provide training on how to ask values-based interview questions and assess candidates for alignment with our calming, caring, reliable, fun, and go-giver culture.

Use Values-Based Interview Questions

Incorporate questions that reveal whether a candidate’s behaviors and beliefs align with your values. For instance:

• Calming: “How do you de-stress during the workday?”
• Caring: “How does volunteerism play a role in your life?”
• Reliable: “Tell me about a role where you worked independently.”
• Fun: “What makes you laugh?” or “Does pineapple belong on pizza?”
• Go-Giver: “How do you approach helping others succeed, even when there’s no immediate benefit to you?”

These questions not only assess alignment but also set the tone for a values-driven conversation.

Involve Teams in the Process

Your current employees are living representations of your core values. Involve them in recruiting by having them participate in interviews, host candidates, or share their own experiences. This not only helps vet candidates for values alignment but also provides candidates with a glimpse of your company’s culture in action.

Assess Cultural Add, Not Just Fit

While alignment with your values is essential, look for candidates who bring diverse perspectives and skills to your team. This is often referred to as “cultural add” rather than “cultural fit.” Candidates who embody your values but offer fresh ideas will enrich your organization.

Infuse Core Values into Onboarding

Integration doesn’t stop once a candidate is hired. Use the onboarding process to reinforce your core values. At be the change HR, we share stories of how our values guide our work, recognize employees who exemplify these values, and provide opportunities for new hires to contribute in ways that align with our mission.

Measure and Iterate

Regularly assess how well your recruiting process reflects your core values. Seek feedback from candidates, hiring teams, and employees to identify opportunities for improvement. Adjust your strategies to keep them relevant and impactful.

Conclusion

When core values are at the heart of your recruiting process, you’re not just hiring employees—you’re building a cohesive team that shares a common purpose. This alignment fosters engagement, retention, and ultimately, business success. At be the change HR, our commitment to being calming, caring, reliable, fun, and go-giver ensures we attract and retain the best HR talent out there. By integrating your own values into every step of recruiting, you can create a workplace that’s as meaningful as it is successful.

I’d love to hear about how you incorporate your core values into your recruiting process!? Drop it in the comments.

-L

LeiLani E. Quiray is the Founder and CEO of be the change HR, Inc., certified Minority and Woman owned, a conscious company and social enterprise, providing HR support for small-to-medium sized businesses in any facet of HR from pre-hire to post-term and everything else that happens in between. She and her team also teach free job readiness courses and provide free coaching to trafficking survivors.? Her team is not only HR Pros, they are Life Changers.?

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