How can you communicate your organization's values and culture during the screening process?

For Global Hiring, the culture component is integral, For candidates to choose an employer, and TA team to ensure the right cultural fit, cultural synergy goes a long way. In my current role, we incorporated a specific interview stage with People partners to ensure the right talent for our culture, and this is also the opportunity for applicants to review us.

Effectively conveying your organisation's values and culture throughout the screening process is pivotal for not only attracting and retaining top talent but also for evaluating candidates' alignment and potential. Include culture-fit questions during the screening or interview process. Ask candidates about their values, work preferences, and how they align with the organisation's culture. Offer candidates a virtual tour of your office or workspace, accentuating the physical surroundings and distinctive elements that resonate with your organisational culture.

You know, I've always believed that if you steer your company with values rather than just by-the-book rules, you're onto something special. But man, it's not a walk in the park. Slapping together a bunch of guides and processes is the easy part. The real challenge? Actually living out those values every day. I've seen places that plaster fancy words everywhere but don't really act on them, especially when the going gets tough. But on the flip side, when you hear your own team genuinely talk about what your company stands for? That's the moment you know you've nailed it.

Hiring managers have the crucial task of placing the right candidate in the right place in an organization. One of the key criteria for hiring is ensuring the cultural compatibility of the candidates with your organization. These considerations are equally important for a job seeker as well. As a result, it is imperative for hiring managers to be capable to communicate the cultural elements of their organization to the candidates. The culture of any organization is defined in its mission, values, and conduct. It can be intangible (e.g. shared goals) or even tangible (e.g. dress code). Importance of Hiring for the Best Fit Wrong hiring is one of the biggest costs for any organization! The cost includes not only the loss of productivity.

As a team, we believe values define who you are and how you act and demonstrate your personality. We capture and highlight it in job descriptions and ensure candidates know our company values and culture. In the initial screenings with candidates, we focus and invest more time in understanding the culture fitment for the long run. Effective communication also helps here. We communicate our missions and goals clearly to our shortlisted candidates and love to hear from them in their own words.

Sharing success stories of employees who embody your company's values and culture can effectively communicate your values to your candidates. Social tools, such as the company website or your screening process, can accomplish this. Doing so can enhance your company's credibility and demonstrate to candidates how it adds value to its staff. Creating a company handbook can be another crucial tool for effective communication. The handbook should include your company's values and culture and be given to candidates during the screening process.

Honestly, just plastering values on a website doesn't cut it anymore! Everywhere you go, you see companies shouting "Our people are our biggest asset!", but then, you dig a bit deeper and find out they won't even flex for a mom with two kids to work from home. That's not walking the talk; it's just ticking boxes. The real deal? Share the real stories! Tell a candidate about that time you bent the rules so a team member could juggle life a bit easier. Or maybe when you realized a policy wasn't working and decided to scrap it for something better. Genuine changes and actions speak louder than any flashy website ever will.

Culture and Values should be practiced in day-to-day operations and considered in decisions. Our policies and procedures are evidence of company culture and values. We can explain our policies and our response in difficult situations will provide a clarity to the candidates

When it comes to our recruiters, here's how they manage to seamlessly communicate our values without resorting to formal presentations or handing out employee handbooks: Our recruiters often share stories and incidents from our company’s journey, making the conversation relatable and authentic. The story of why and how our company was founded is integral to understanding our values and culture. By sharing stories of existing employees, their growth, and how they’ve navigated their career path while embodying our values

Focus on authenticity; it must be genuine. Know the leaders and teams you're hiring for. As the organization's representative, convey culture and core values, but make them relatable. Allow candidates to meet potential colleagues to sense the subculture and working methods. Diversity stems from individual differences, creating various approaches. Encourage open dialogue for mutual understanding. Showcase real stories to depict living culture. Transparency builds trust, laying a foundation for a meaningful connection between candidate and organization, revealing the potential for a mutually beneficial relationship and future success :-)

When screening prospective candidates for relevant experience, team alignment, hard skills, and soft skills, it is also important to screen for empathy. Not only are you looking for that candidate who fits the bill in all of the above, you also want to pay attention for that emphatic team-player who can come in, mesh well with the team, relate to others, and elevate everyone around them.

Look, in the world of global hiring, it's not uncommon to have a bunch of interview stages. When you're bringing in talent from various corners of the world, you've got to dive deep into the culture bit, right? Personally, I insist on at least two dedicated culture chats. And over the years, I've whipped up a go-to list of behavioral questions. For me, it boils down to three core checks: 1) Getting a genuine read on their own values. 2) Watching their response to critique—gives you a sneak peek into potential interactions with their manager. 3) Assessing if they’re the type to step up for their teammates, clients, or even just the person next to them. Nailing these three? That usually gives me a solid gut-check on the culture front.

Having content showcasing the team and culture is great. However, discussing values and culture directly with a person is very different and the key to communicating it with candidates. At each stage of the recruitment process, companies should have the interviewers allocate a set amount of time to allow candidates to ask everything about these two topics. And the interviewer should draw on their individual experiences, not give generic responses. If you share those genuine experiences, people will do the same and exhibit synergy or misalignment. This will drive authenticity when articulating your values and culture. And it’ll help identify if there is a good fit. Keep it human.

Culture and values are the organization's attitude, behaviors, and goals. It defines how employees interact with one another and it definitely impact strategies and how one makes decisions. STAR method is helpful in getting insight on candidate's values, beliefs, and preferences, and adaptability. In my previous organizations, we designed a culture-related interview questions to objectively assess candidates.

Our recruiters meticulously go through each candidate's CV, identifying roles, projects, or instances that may have demanded significant decision-making or problem-solving. These could be leadership roles, crisis management situations, or projects that required innovative solutions. Both successes and setbacks provide rich insights into a candidate’s values and approaches. Discussing these instances helps to unravel how a candidate navigates through highs and lows, their risk-taking appetite.

One thing I stand by? No one on my team kicks off the weekend without touching base with every candidate in our pipeline. Yeah, sometimes there's not much to update, or maybe a chat didn't go as hoped. But everyone deserves a heads-up; it's about respect. We're not flawless, and there are slip-ups, but it's a mark of our "Think Long Term" ethos. The real payoff? I once had a candidate, who didn't make the cut, tell me he appreciated the process and our approach and that he'd be open to talking again in the future. When you hear that? That's when you know the effort's worth it.

Providing feedback, especially when a candidate is declined based on a cultural and values mismatch, can indeed be sensitive and requires tactful communication. It’s essential to convey the message in a manner that is constructive, respectful, and without inadvertently signaling that their values are in any way inferior or incorrect. Make it clear that it’s not about their values being “not good enough”, but more about finding a mutual fit for the benefit of both the individual and the organization. For instance, "Based on our discussions about past experiences and decision-making approaches, we are concerned that you might not find our working environment as fulfilling and comfortable as you might desire."

Candidates are also evaluating your organization. Feedback should be a continuous loop where both parties learn from each other. By addressing questions or concerns raised by candidates, you are reinforcing your organization’s values and building a foundation of trust, ensuring that those who join truly resonate with your “Why.”

Candidates value organizations that communicate openly and value their input. In my experience, providing timely feedback, addressing questions, and acknowledging concerns not only reinforces your values but also demonstrates respect for candidates. Additionally, consistent follow-up throughout the process keeps candidates engaged and informed. It builds rapport and trust, which is vital in attracting top talent. It's not just about assessing candidates; it's about leaving a positive impression and creating a lasting connection, regardless of the outcome. Ultimately, it's a two-way street, where both candidates and organizations evaluate each other to ensure a mutually beneficial fit. 🌟🤝

If you are not doing follow-up and offering honest feedback, you're going to very quickly tank your reputation. I've seen incredible companies that were just getting off the ground do a total nose dive because they burned through the top candidates in the industry over a month's time, and never explained why they didn't advance. It's really underestimated how much the more niche industries talk amongst themselves.

In my opinion, engaging not just the hiring team but also other relevant stakeholders in a reflective session to evaluate what went right or wrong during the recruitment process is essential. Consolidate feedback from the candidate, recruitment team, and any other involved parties to build a comprehensive understanding of the failure points. Make swift changes to address any glaring issues or process flaws that were identified during the post-mortem, even if they are temporary or experimental. Our team as agile and iterative in this process

The best way to evaluate and improve your process is making it a part of feedback/evaluation form and rating each and every value.

Seek feedback from candidates that have completed the process, this will allow you to better understand how you can improve the candidate journey, streamline and further align the process to your organisation's values and culture.

Regularly assessing your process ensures it remains fair, effective, and aligned with your values and culture. Data and metrics help measure outcomes, like hire quality and diversity, while feedback provides insights into candidate experiences. I've found that adopting best practices and staying updated with industry innovations keeps the screening process efficient and adaptable. As the candidate landscape evolves, so should your approach. In essence, it's a dynamic cycle of assessment and enhancement to attract, select, and retain top talent while staying true to your organization's core values. 🌟🔄👥

Regularly evaluate the effectiveness of your screening process. Does it truly measure alignment with your company’s “Why”? Gather data, listen to feedback, and be willing to make necessary changes. This ensures that as your organization evolves, your hiring process remains in harmony with your core values and culture. In essence, whether it’s defining, communicating, screening, providing feedback, or evaluating, always tie back to your “Why” and prioritize genuine, behavioral insights. This ensures a harmonious cultural alignment, particularly in global roles.

A good talent acquisition professional is a processor. A great talent acquisition professional has excellent listening skills, is an honest partner with hiring leaders, boundary partners, a spokesperson of the company, and a seller to the candidates. They also have a will to overcome obstacles like compensation, internal hurdles, sponsorship, delays in start dates, etc. There is a lot of good talent acquisition professionals who can spin the wheel. Great talent acquisition professionals can partner on multiple levels consistently.

Here is what else to consider during the screening call: 1. Learning & Growth Opportunities: Emphasise the growth and development opportunities available at the firm and how the employee can use the firm resources to advance their own goals and aspirations. 2. Onboarding Process: Discuss the training opportunities and values from the onboarding process. 3. Career Trajectory & Hierarchy: Discuss the career growth plan and how the company hierarchy is structured.

A positive candidate experience is a reflection of your organization's values and culture. From the initial contact to the final decision, candidates should feel respected and informed. Communicate clearly, provide timely updates, and maintain professionalism. Even candidates who aren't selected can become brand advocates if they have a positive experience. Remember, a respectful and inclusive candidate experience aligns with a culture of empathy and fairness. It's a powerful way to uphold your values and make a lasting impression on potential hires. 🌟🤝

Word-of-mouth, or a company's reputation, impact a lot on the global talent acquisition. Many folks tend to trust what their friends, family, coworkers, or neighbors say about a company more than what they see in ads. If someone they know says something good about a company, they usually think that person is telling the truth about their experience with that brand. So, they're more likely to give it a try. And also word-of-mouth spreads on its own.

Don't be anxious, but certainly do not overlook the culture and values of the organization as well as how they are communicated. It may seem like a small thing, but it's truly one of the core tenants to genuine success and it's the difference between Apple and the other companies you've never heard of.