The Recruitment Process and Culture
Square peg, round hole - getting culture fit right in recruitment
Scrolling LinkedIn this week and I spotted a post by Femi Alberici, who was brave enough to share that she’d quit a job after 1 month because it wasn’t right for her. I have a huge amount of respect for Femi, the biggest career mistake I made was staying in a job I hated for 11 months and I knew it wasn’t the job for me in that first month.
So, why did I end up in the wrong place for 11 months? Three words - the recruitment process. Quite simply, the whole process was the complete opposite of what it was really like to work in the business. I naively assumed the questions I was asked and the presentation I did reflected the types of things I’d be doing. I was left horrified by the way people were treated and spoken to by leaders. It was so far against my values of what a workplace should be. I don’t think anyone really set with the intention to deceive, in fact the leader I was interviewed by remains a friend on Facebook as she was quite lovely. It worked out for me in the end, I made my escape and got a role I loved, working somewhere that reflected the things I wanted to do, used my skills and fitted with my values. And I learnt to not take things at face value in the interview.
But what does this all mean for you as a leader and business owner? Getting recruitment right is key for your growth - you need to find the right people and you need to make sure they want to stay. I imagine you spend lots of time focusing on getting the right skills for your role. But it’s just as important to make sure you get the right personal fit too - for the sanity of both sides and to make sure they want to hang around for the right reasons.
There is a fine balance when we talk about personal fit - you don’t want a bunch of clones who think and do the same. That’s not going to take you forward and make sure you have a constant flow of small improvements in your business. But you do want to make sure that your values align and people are supportive of your vision for the future.
So, what can you do to get this right?
- It all starts with the job description- be clear about what you really need doing both now and in the future
- Make sure there’s balance to your interview - checking they’ve got the right skills is key but also taking the time to find out about them as a person (their values, beliefs and what makes them tick)
- Think about whether you can learn more about someone through activities and presentations rather than just a standard interview - but make sure those activities are a genuine reflection of the job as you don’t want to create false expectations
- Remember the interview is a conversation- not just a tick box list of questions. Keep it real.
- Be really honest about what it’s like to work in your business - there’s no point in dressing it up and having someone open the cupboard to discover the skeletons. If they’re not comfortable with those skeletons they’ll leave - whether it takes one month or 11. Or worse, they’ll stay and become a negative drain on energy
- If you’re recruiting someone to help you make X better then share it - don’t let them think you’re already there and share what you think that journey might be like
- Remember it’s a two way process - you need to share as much with the candidate as they share with you
And if you’re sitting here thinking but that will never work, no one will be interested in the job if I’m honest about what it’s really like in my business, then maybe it’s time you thought about your culture and the type of workplace you create.
Get in touch, we can help you with all things recruitment. We can also support a review of your culture and create a plan for the things you’d like to change - whether that’s attitudes and behaviours, leadership style or particular key areas like rewards and benefits. Email nicole.james@bamboopeoplesolutions.co.uk
