How do you find value-aligned talent without compromising on quality or diversity?

In today’s evolving job market, traditional recruitment methods often fail to identify candidates who not only have the right skills but also align with a company’s core values and culture. This alignment is essential for long-term success and employee satisfaction. At MyPeople, we believe values-based recruitment using data assessments provides a holistic approach to hiring that benefits both employers and employees.

Understanding Values-Based Recruitment

Values-based recruitment is about more than just finding someone with the right qualifications. It focuses on identifying individuals whose personal values align with the core values and culture of the organisation and team they will work in. This method delves deeper than technical skills and experience, emphasising cultural fit, engagement and long-term potential. By incorporating pre-hire assessments into the recruitment process, employers can gain profound insights into a candidate’s personality, preferred work styles, and intrinsic values.

Why Values-Based Recruitment Matters

1. Enhanced Employee Retention: When employees’ values align with those of the organisation, they are more likely to feel a sense of belonging and commitment, which significantly reduces turnover rates. Studies have shown that values alignment can reduce employee turnover by up to 30%.
2. Strengthened Workplace Culture: Hiring individuals who share the same values creates a cohesive and positive work environment, leading to higher morale and productivity. Organisations with strong cultures see a 20-30% improvement in employee performance.
3. High Performance: Employees who are a good cultural fit tend to perform better because they are more engaged and motivated in their roles. Research indicates that highly engaged teams exhibit 21% greater profitability.
4. Mitigated Hiring Bias: Pre-employment assessments provide objective data that helps minimize unconscious bias in the recruitment process, promoting diversity and inclusion. Companies using these assessments have seen a 25% increase in workplace diversity.

How to Analyse and Leverage Data for Hiring

Analysing and leveraging data for hiring requires a structured process that integrates various information sources and analytics tools. Start by identifying the specific data points and attributes essential for your hiring goals, such as CV details, interview scores, skills assessments, and other relevant information.

With the support of advanced technology providers like MyPeople Group, recruitment and talent acquisition teams can easily standardise and analyse this data, enabling smarter, faster decisions. Utilise assessments, data analytics tools and techniques to process and extract insights. This might involve statistical analysis, machine learning, or data visualisation to evaluate candidate performance, cultural fit, and potential. MyPeople’s assessments and platform are designed to bridge the gap of critical information which is not currently evaluated, providing  intrinsic data that highlights how candidate personality traits, values and workplace preferences will thrive in different team environments.  Delivering insights which evaluate candidate performance, cultural fit, and potential.

Lastly, regularly assess and refine your data collection and analysis process. Update your data sources and analytical models as needed to stay aligned with your company’s evolving needs.

Real-World Success Stories

Several companies have successfully implemented values-based recruitment, reaping significant benefits:

• Zappos: Renowned for its strong company culture, Zappos uses a rigorous values-based hiring process to ensure new hires align with their core values, such as delivering WOW through service and embracing change.

• Patagonia: This outdoor apparel company prioritises environmental and social responsibility in its values-based recruitment, seeking candidates who are passionate about sustainability.

• Southwest Airlines: By hiring for attitude and training for skill, Southwest Airlines ensures employees align with their values of humour, friendliness, and a warrior spirit.

Moving Beyond Traditional Methods

Traditional screening practices are not only outdated but also biased. In typical CV screening, candidates with ‘impressive’ credentials are shortlisted for interviews, while others are overlooked. At one time, this may have been the most effective means of narrowing down the candidate pool. However, decades of research now show that there are fairer, more predictive methods.

CVs often lead to underrepresented groups being overlooked and don’t provide a true measure of someone’s ability to perform on the job. The Schmidt-Hunter meta-analysis, which reviewed over 50 years of research on assessment methods, concluded that years of experience and education (the basis of a CV) are poor predictors of job performance.

In Closing

When it comes to values-based recruitment, it’s not enough for a candidate to simply recite your values. You want someone who will genuinely embody these values in their day-to-day work. Values-based recruitment, enhanced with psychometric assessments, offer a strategic advantage in today’s job market. By focusing on cultural fit and shared values, organisations can build a more engaged, productive, and cohesive workforce. This approach not only improves employee satisfaction and retention but also drives long-term success and innovation.

Adopting values-based recruitment is a step toward creating a workplace where employees thrive and contribute meaningfully to the organisation’s mission. As the business landscape continues to evolve, aligning talent acquisition with core values will remain a cornerstone of sustainable growth.

Ready to transform your recruitment process?

Visit MyPeople Group to learn more about integrating values-based recruitment strategies into your hiring process. Contact us today to get started!

References:

• Values Alignment and Employee Turnover – ResearchGate
• The Role of Value Congruence in Employee Retention – ScienceDirect
• Cultural Fit and Organisational Performance – Harvard Business Review
• The Importance of building a strong Company Culture – Forbes
• Employee Engagement and Profitability – Gallup
• Diversity and Inclusion through Assessments – McKinsey & Company
• Schmidt-Hunter Meta-Analysis of Assessment Methods – American Psychological Association
• Experience and Education as Predictors of Job Performance – Sage Journals