Using culture to make smart hiring decisions

In today’s modern world, culture is something that is talked about constantly. It is a crucial aspect of the hiring process although it is almost impossible to accurately measure. As headhunters, it is always interesting to witness the perceived vs actual culture of an organisation and influence recruitment decisions accordingly to get the best outcome.

Experience dictates that in each country companies operate in different ways. If you are Japanese, American, French, Indian or Australian you will have cultural differences in what is considered to be the norm within a working environment. It is our role to ensure that all parties know what to expect.

There are so many companies with a massive disparity between perceived culture and reality. In almost all cases this leads to low levels of engagement and a very high turnover of staff. If your company operates as a hard sales environment, don’t dress it up to be anything else. Providing you remunerate your staff appropriately, you will attract the right people to your business. If you pretend to be otherwise in order to attract a broader, less aggressive and more diverse staff base, don’t be surprised when those people leave.

Turning up to a trendy Shoreditch start-up in a suit would be equally disruptive as wearing board shorts to a City bank. Whilst dress code and foosball tables may provide some indication, ultimately the challenges of identifying organisational culture are much broader.

Interview for a cultural fit

There is no definitive guide for what works when finding the best match for your organisation, however we can provide a few key tips for interviewers.

Define your culture

Allow headhunters to meet other people within your organisation at the beginning of a process. We will gain more insight into the business culture and can use this information to identify a good match.

Don’t rush hiring decisions

Just because you think you have met the perfect candidate, don’t immediately offer them the job after stage one. Meet them a couple of times and get a second opinion. Take them out for an informal drink or meal to get to know them personally. You will be spending a lot of time with them in the future, so ask other members of your team to meet them too, as it’s always great to get the views of others they will be working with.

Conduct a thorough recruitment process

Use personality testing; whilst you should never base a decision purely on these results, it gives you another view and the possibility of picking up on something you may have missed earlier. In addition to this, always reference, not just through the people they have provided on acceptance of the job. 360 degree referencing covers all options and identifies blind spots.

Ensure the role is clearly defined

Make sure candidates are well informed on the details of the position, highlighting specifics about working hours, remuneration and benefits particularly. Also provide an overview of the business itself, including the structure and its long-term vision.

Don’t make assumptions

Having previously worked for a direct competitor does not guarantee that there will or won’t be a culture fit. There is often a significant difference between the perceived and the actual culture in organisations you compete against. Don’t have this bias when compiling company target lists.

Align values

Learn about what the candidate values, what beliefs they hold and what their ideal working environment would look like. Just because someone comes from a certain background, does not necessarily mean that their values will always be consistent with your expectation of their previous employer.

Don’t lie to the candidate about what to expect

Be completely upfront and transparent about what it is like to work in your organisation. It is crucial that both sides are completely aware of and understand what they are getting into. Ideally the more time spent together prior to starting the better.

Summary

The key defining factor of any company’s culture is the people who are hired. Whilst it is easy for any business to simply write down what they would like the working environment to be, ultimately that is decided by the employees. Through consistently smart hiring decisions, ensuring all parties understand the working environment and supportive action from the management team, companies will develop a culture they are proud of. For exactly the same reason, a company will always end up with the culture it deserves.

When you are looking to appoint board directors into a business, very often you may be looking to change the organisational culture. This will come from the top, but will be extremely difficult and not without challenges or risks. You will be hiring them to drive that change and therefore it is crucial to have clarity around their cultural and personal values, ensuring they are in line with the changes you are planning to implement.

If you are looking to make an executive hire and would like to discuss how we can assist with finding the best candidate for the position, please do get in touch.

Simon Nolan
T: +44 (0) 1932 264 056
E: simonnolan@pageexecutive.com