Keys to Understanding Company Culture
When you’re a young company, you’re always up against the Big Guys in the race to hire tech talent. So how do you put yourself in the same league as these towering giants? It all starts with a clear understanding – and communication of – your company culture.
When on the hunt for tech talent in today’s competitive market, here are the things you need to have sussed-out in advance of reaching out to your dream candidates:
Company Mission: If you can’t tell candidates who you are, what you do, why you’re different, and why this matters to both your target audience AND to them as a prospective employee – get this spelled out. Your bigger competition has this down pat.
Comparison to the Competition: You’d better know what the competition is offering in terms of compensation, marketplace relevance, and culture. The question will come up, so why not be prepared to answer what some companies consider a tough question. For you, it can be easy!
Value Proposition: How much do you know about your candidate? Today’s tight tech market demands that you be able to relate your career offering directly to a candidate’s personal needs, likes, and goals.
Comp Plan and Benefits: No matter your company size, you should be able to clearly enumerate what you’re offering. The recruiting process is a tough time to figure out that what you need costs more than you’ve budgeted or that you don’t measure-up to your competition’s offerings.
The “What’s Next” Conversation: Be prepared for the next conversation with your candidates. PDFs and press coverage that you can send along, bios of the folks he or she will be interviewing with, and more. How will you keep the candidate’s interest after the initial conversation?
Keeping Track of the Company Pulse
Once those in charge of hiring have the above sorted out, you’re in position to move forward with more successful hiring conversations. How do you keep those conversations on-track? We recommend a few techniques for making sure that everyone in decision-making roles is kept apprise of hiring needs and processes:
Scheduled Updates: Make sure those who are sourcing candidates are checking in with those doing the interviewing and making the hiring decisions on a regular basis. If not weekly, then bi-weekly.
Challenges: Are you having difficulty filling a role? Are candidates not measuring up? Ask these questions often and face challenges head-on and with candor. This translates to less time wasted and better candidates in the future.
New Hire Check-Ins: Maybe there’s something that your new hires can contribute to the hiring process. Why not check in with new talent at the 1- month and 3-month points for what they feel you could add (or subtract) from their hiring process based on their experiences with their new company.
When it comes to hiring, it doesn’t matter who in your company is in charge of the task. What matters is your ability to communicate – and on multiple topics and levels. If you enjoyed this post, you’ll definitely want to download the extended version in our eBook! It will include worksheets and How Tos for many of the strategies listed above, along with additional resources for companies working with external (contract) versus internal recruiting teams and techniques for bringing external teams up to speed on company culture. Sign up to receive the full eBook when released below!
When the series is complete, stay tuned – you’ll be able to download the entire guide as an eBook! The eBook will have exclusive interviews, statistics, and value-adds not included in the web-based series. If you’d like to be on the list for this complimentary release, just share your information with us below and we’ll send it direct to your inbox.
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