Why do employees choose to work for your company? There are a few reasons that come to mind, with company culture being one that stands out from the rest. Certain elements of your company culture will appeal differently to each candidate in the recruiting process. This blog will guide you through what company culture is and its importance. In addition, the blog will point out 4 areas of company culture that will help your company attract top talent.
What is Company Culture and Why is it Important?
First thing first, we need to understand what company culture is before we understand why it is important and how it can help attract and retain top talent. Company culture is the values, behaviors, and attributes that are shared within the organization by each employee. Employees will foster the company culture in their day-to-day tasks while promoting the success of the business.
Now that we understand what company culture is, we ask “Why is it important?” Company culture is important because it distinguishes you from your competition and allows you to stand out in a particular way in your industry. In today’s labor market, it is important to stand out from others and market your organization as a culture-driven, great place to work.
How Company Culture Impacts Recruiting and Hiring
Does your company culture impact your recruiting and hiring process? In short, the answer is YES! But why is this so important to the process?
Previously we mentioned company culture sets you apart from your competition. You also want to think about the candidate’s big recruitment question- “Why do I want to work for this company”? Prior to even applying for the position, the candidate is researching your company and seeing if your company matches what they are looking for culturally. If they believe you are a match, they will begin to envision what it is like working for you and what your company culture can provide.
During your recruitment process, how are you sharing your company culture with potential candidates? It is important the job description be written in a way that shares your company culture and speaks to the candidate. Does the candidate get an accurate impression of your company culture through your job description? If the job description isn’t written with culture in mind, you won’t be able to attract talent that matches your company culture.
How to Create a Culture That Attracts Top Talent
The next step is determining if your company culture is attracting the talent you want on your team. Below we discuss four areas you can focus on to assist in creating a company culture that brings you the right, sought after talent.
Having Open Discussions About Career Paths
Career advancement is one of the most important aspects to any candidate. Are they able to move and progress in their career at your company? A candidate will want to work for a company that has a clear path of growth. It is important your company is open to discussing career advancement and how your employees can grow within the company. A candidate will feel more comfortable taking a job knowing they have the tools and resources to advance professionally. A lot of these discussions will take place during your regular performance management conversations and weekly 1 on 1s, but when we are speaking about recruiting, the candidate will likely ask about career advancement when given the opportunity to ask the hiring manager or HR questions.
Provide Meaningful Work
Many employees want to come to work knowing they are making a difference and contributing to the company’s success. While there may be times you assign work that may not be deeper than accomplishing a task, you want to ensure most of the work is meaningful to your employees and connects to the larger business purpose. During the recruitment process, you can share a few examples of the projects or work assigned to that particular position. This will give the candidate a glimpse of what it will be like to work in that role and how they will be making a difference in the company through their work.
Give Opportunities to Learn New Skills
We shared the importance of setting a career path for employees to grow within the company. Allowing your employees to learn new skills will help them grow and advance to their next role. If an employee is interested in a different area of the company, let them shadow and learn more. Learning new skills will allow you to have employees with diverse skill sets working cross-functionally in your organization. Similar to providing meaningful work, the hiring manager can share some success stories of how their employees have learned new skills during the interview. Candidates love to hear honest examples of how current employees are successful.
Employee Recognition
Employee recognition is so important and a powerful tool that is relatively easy to implement. As a company, do you want to be known as an employer who just expects results, but does not praise their employees for a job well done? I don’t think so.
When recognizing employees, it can be as easy as a personal thank you note, or an unexpected visit to their desk to thank them for all the hard work and success they have had. On the other hand, employee recognition can be shown by having employee recognition socials or providing incentives. It is okay to be creative when it comes to employee recognition, the important aspect is that the employees feel valued and appreciated for the work they are doing for the company.
Have Additional Questions About Company Culture and Recruiting?
Are you second guessing your company culture and recruitment process? If the answer is yes, that is totally normal. The consultants at Red Clover are here to help! We have years of experience working with clients to outline their company’s culture and assist them with sharing this culture during the recruitment process. Reach out to us today to schedule a call to further discuss!
