High-Value Hiring: 3 Ways to Incorporate Your Core Values Into Hiring Your Next Team Member

Hiring people that are an excellent match to your business’s core values and culture will make them extremely valuable to your business. I’d even go so far as to say that someone who aligns with your values will be more beneficial to your business than someone who does not align with your values yet has the perfect skill set and years of experience relevant to their role. 

But how do you find people who get your vision and jive with how you work your business?

First, you clearly define your values. 

Then, you get out there and share those values!

Here are three specific places you should be shouting your values loud and proud if you want your next hire to get you giddy with aligned glee.

Attract Aligned Hires: Share your core values in every job description you create. 

Using your core values to find the right hire can be as simple as including them in every post you make about a job you’re looking to fill. This method works with employees and contractors. 

When I hired a freelancer on the site UpWork, I included my values in my posting and found someone who seamlessly fit into my workflow, business culture, and team. When I help my clients hire, I love to include their core values in the job description because nine times out of ten applicants directly comment on how excited they were about them and how they felt instantly aligned with the business. 

First impressions matter, and they pack a punch when you add your values to the mix. 

Hire Strategically and Intentionally: Use application and interview questions that reveal someone’s values. 

Most business values make statements about objectively positive character traits, so it’s unlikely that applicants will see themselves as someone without those positive qualities, regardless of whether or not they genuinely have them. For this reason, putting your values in your job description doesn’t always repel those who do not align with the way you do business — they genuinely think they belong.

Hiring someone that aligns with your values isn’t about personally judging someone; it’s about finding someone who would effortlessly fit in, understand the way you work, and be able to contribute to your team’s culture without trying too hard. 

It’s your job to figure out if your candidates believe they have what you value or if they really value what you do. The best way to do this is by tailoring your application and interview questions to reveal how a person would behave in your business and team. Give them examples of scenarios where they might be under a bit of pressure or have to make a time-sensitive decision and ask them how they would handle the situation. 

Attracting an aligned hire for your team means filtering out those who aren’t! 

Integrate Core Values Into Your Business: Use your values as a foundation for your onboarding process. 

When you’re training a new team member, you have the opportunity to bring them into your team’s culture and show them how you live out your core values. As often as possible, point out specific ways that your core values show up in your business and team — this is great even with people who have worked for you for a long time! Infuse everything, from how you communicate with your new hire to every SOP, with your core values.

To further improve your core values’ team impact, overhaul your performance review process and metrics. 

Invite your team to give their input on what measures of value they find most important on the team and incorporate those, too. The more invested your team is in bringing your core values to life, the better work becomes for everyone.

Do you know what your Core Values are?!

Grab my FREE Mission, Vision, and Values Guide and define yours today! Just click here to download.