This article originally appeared in the September 2022 issue of Security Business magazine. When sharing, don’t forget to mention Security Business magazine on LinkedIn and @SecBusinessMag on Twitter.
Whenever a potential client reaches out to our firm about the possibility of working together, my first question is always the same: “Why would a potential candidate come work for your company?”
It sounds simple and straightforward but truthfully, more often than not, hiring managers give the same typical robotic answers on every job posting. If your go-to answer to this question starts off by outlining health benefits, 401k, and car allowance, it is time to consider seriously rebuilding your company culture from the ground up.
In today’s market, employee benefits are fairly standard, and they are no longer an extra perk of being a company employee. Having a “collaborative culture” with a “hands-on approach” is not a selling point either.
When it comes to hiring, candidates want to know what sets a company apart from the rest. Why should they come work for your organization? They want to understand what it is like day-to-day and whether the grass will be greener on the other side.
Still, many hiring officials miss this by focusing strictly on job responsibilities, day-to-day operations, and standard employee information.
How to Describe your Corporate Culture so it Stands out
When it comes to winning talent, culture means everything to most “A Players.” Here are three ways to get you thinking about outlining and describing out-of-the-box differentiators at your company:
1. Ask yourself why you decided to accept a position at the company. A great way to figure out how to describe your corporate culture is to ask yourself about the many reasons that drew you to come work there. By doing this exercise, you are allowing yourself to step outside of the day-to-day employee life and remember how you felt as a candidate. What was important to you? What did you like about the company? What sealed the deal for you?
2. Conduct research internally. Never underestimate the power of your people. In reality, they are who make up a company’s culture in the first place. Ask the team to come up with two or three things they really enjoy about working there and maybe go a step further and ask them to come up with a word or two that they feel describes the company culture.
3. Hire an unbiased consultant or use an anonymous survey tool. Sometimes, biases get in the way and it can be difficult to remain unattached to what the company culture truly is vs. how you view it. There are many consultants in employee engagement, motivation and corporate culture who, for a nominal yet valuable fee can gather information in a neutral format from the team and assemble data in a contextual format. Some employees may be fearful of being honest, so an anonymous survey is never a bad way to go as it provides an opportunity for honest and direct feedback.
Crafting the Message
The bottom line: Take the time to develop the right system to get honest feedback and detail about company culture.
Chances are, your company provides value to employees in many ways, and prospects will find them equally valuable. The next job is to formulate it into a concise but detailed statement that will excite candidates to take the next step. Let’s be honest, which work environment sounds better:
“We provide excellent resources, including continuing education, certificate training, or class funding with a good path for internal growth, as we have promoted seven people internally so far this year.”
“Full-time position open for a technician. Full benefits provided.”
Ryan Joseph is an Executive Recruiter for Recruit Group (https://recruitgrp.com), with a focus on security industry operations, sales, and sales leadership. For help with your security recruiting efforts, contact her at [email protected] or call (954) 278-8286.
