Communicating your company culture is imperative to hiring the right person first time. The more clearly you get your company culture across to prospective candidates, the more likely you are to attract applicants with not only the right skills but the mindset you are looking for, too.
According to the Harvard Business Review, people and cultural fit is the most important part of a job for candidates. It even comes above opportunities for career progression. Should you hire a candidate with a poor cultural fit, you're likely to find yourself re-hiring for the same position pretty quickly.
But getting your company culture across to people outside of your organization isn’t always easy. Especially if you're a startup.
To effectively share your company culture with candidates, you need to be open and honest with them from the start. That way, they know exactly what to expect as soon as they walk through the door.
Write a job description that reflects who you are
Your job description is the first thing candidates will see. For some, it may even be the first time they've heard of your company. Getting the tone of voice right is therefore imperative.
The way you write your job description will affect which candidates you attract, so keep that in mind when putting it together. A poorly written description damages your employer brand and will fail to attract the candidate profiles you are trying to appeal to.
Ensure that everything is properly worded and formatted so that the content is easy for candidates to digest. Spend time considering the vocabulary you use as well as the values and principles you want to communicate.
Make the responsibilities of the role clear, too. If it’s the kind of role that requires someone with a range of skillsets, say so. If it requires a specialist, make that clear instead. This can be done both in the job title and the role requirements.
Consider your hiring process
The application form is the next thing future employees will see when they apply for a role. It’s important that your hiring process reflects what life is like for your employees.
Do you put a focus on lean processes? Make sure they can apply to the role in minutes, not hours. Do you value mindset over skills? Ask questions that get to the root of how they think.
Applicant tracking systems make every step – from shortlisting to interview scheduling – faster. The faster these steps are completed, the faster you can find the perfect candidates to fill your vacancies.
You're also more likely to get your top choice because you'll have interviewed candidates and made your offers while your competitors are still trying to schedule interviews.
Tell them about the company during interviews
It’s common to ask candidates what they know of the business during interviews. This is a good way to evaluate their research skills and see how well they prepared.
However, an online search will only give them basic information. It won't tell them about the inner workings of the company. Be open to answering candidate’s questions about what the company and role is like. Ask them directly about the management style they are comfortable with or what their ideal work environment looks like.
Give them insight into an average day in the role, what success looks like, and introduce them to the team. The more information candidates are given, the more information both you and they have to make a decision about if they're the right person for the job.
Explain the benefits/perks
What are the benefits that come with working for your company? Not free tea and coffee or fruits, but opportunities for job progression and learning. Employees value these things far more than free sustenance or ping pong tables.
Offering better progression and learning opportunities than your competitor could be the difference between a candidate choosing you over them.
Show what you value
This should come across in everything from the job description to the interview.
What do you value the most in employees? Are you looking for potential over existing skills? Do you want autonomous individuals or team players?
Make what you value as clear as possible right from the start. There is nothing worse that moving the goalposts after a new hire has been made
Conclusion
Communicating your company culture with candidates clearly can be the difference between a successful hire and a failed one. It helps you find talented candidates who will fit in your company and their team. Making the right hires help companies grow faster and, because hiring is expensive, it saves a a lot money too.
From clear job descriptions to automated interview scheduling, there are plenty of ways you can share your company culture with candidates whichever stage of the hiring process they're at.