How to Make Your Company Align with Candidate Values

Values are critical to every organization. They encompass a company's mission, philosophies, and practices, defining who the organization is and how it aims to meet its long-term objectives. Along with these principles, other tangible factors, such as financial investments and social responsibility initiatives, make up the way a company operates. Then there's staffing, the people who are at the heart of every organization.

Ideally, you want to hire candidates who share your values. However, in today's ever-changing workforce, you might need to do some restructuring in order to keep up with the times and align your company's values with those of the most sought-after candidates on the job market. While your core philosophies shouldn't be discarded, you also don't want to operate under antiquated ideals that may no longer matter to the real world or on principles that are just words on paper.

Today's candidates are paying attention, did you know values are one of the five things a candidate takes into account before accepting a job offer? How do you know if internal changes are needed in your organization? Take the opportunity to learn whether or not you're in tune.

Ask your employees' opinions

You can start your assessment in your own backyard. Ask your current employees value-based questions to see if their perceptions about your company's values align with the way you've structured them. The types of questions you can ask can include:

• What do you think our organizational values are?
• What values are important to you?
• Where would you like to see our company headed?
• Do you have any additional thoughts about organizational values?

Consider surveying these questions anonymously—your staff might answer more honestly if you allow them to go incognito. You might be astounded by their answers. Take this information and compare it with your rate of employee turnover; for instance, if you're seeing many comings and goings, this could signal there is a problem.

Survey interview responses

Chances are you're already asking values-based questions to the talent you've been interviewing because you probably want to hire people who possess shared philosophies. Another way you can assess whether or not your company aligns with candidate philosophies is to survey the answers given to you by the top talent during your interviews. Compare their responses with your company's existing values—are they similar or is there a wide discrepancy? If you see a trend of resemblances amongst candidates (especially of the great candidates who got away!) that aren't copasetic with your present organizational values, examine what it is they're seeking in a job. What can you change that would reel them in?

Understand the values each generation possesses

Baby Boomers, Millennials, and Generation Z are all coming together in workplaces and what matters to each group may differ. If you want to attract and keep the best talent, strive to learn exactly what it is that makes each group of employees tick. Understanding the values of each generation is important, this way you can work to identify ways to appeal to and hire top prospects, then invest in ways to retain them.

If you want to develop a strong employee base, take into consideration what your employees and candidates on the job market think. Sure, skills and experience are also important, however, if you want committed people, you'll want to make an effort to be a workplace they want to be associated with. One where they'll invest their talents.

As your team grows, so should your company culture. You don't want to become known as the undesirable company no one wants to work for—the one where candidates shiver when they see the company logo and quickly move to the next job listing.

Remember, setting values is one thing, keeping them in practice is something else entirely. Understand what today's candidates want and, if you deliver, you'll be better prepared to lower your turnover rate and keep your talent engaged and onboard.