Hiring new talent can be an exhausting endeavor as studies show that every job opening attracts on average 250 resumes. Three of America’s most popular companies are looking way beyond just job and salary history in order to hire their best. They are focusing on common values, training and careful observation in order to create a strong team.
Emphasize Shared Beliefs
It’s a well known fact that recruiters often look for a solid culture fit when recruiting new employees. Culture fit includes hiring people who mesh well with your company’s values, morals and beliefs. One company that is placing a premium on common shared beliefs is the successful fast food chain Chick-Fil-A.
Unlike other franchises which require a significant investment when opening a store, Chick-Fil-A only requires an initial investment of $5,000. However, the company has publicly stated a strong preference for hiring individuals with traditional Christian beliefs and values.
The company also favors married men over single individuals finding them more ambitious. As you can imagine, these hiring practices are controversial to say the least and the company has faced serious backlash. Despite the controversy, the company is still immensely successful having amassed $3.1 million in revenue in 2014. The takeaway here is that shared common beliefs and a good cultural fit is important if you want to build a cohesive group of team players.
Offer On The Job Training
Offering in-depth and quality can help to improve performance and reduce turnover rates. According to studies, 40% of employees who received poor job training left their position in a year. Training can also be used as a recruiting tool as many millenials are looking to upgrade their skills and increase their marketability in the workforce.
One example of a successful company that is taking it’s training seriously is Dyson. The company is known for producing high quality household vacuum cleaners and just launched the Dyson Supersonic hair dryer; a high-tech appliance that cost over $67 million dollars to produce with the help of over 100 engineers.
Dyson recruits some of their employees directly out of high school and enrolls them in a work-study program that includes lectures from university professors. The program essentially allows students to study for a 4-year engineering degree while receiving hands-on experience at Dyson’s Research & Development facilities.
The takeaway here is that employee training is essential when it comes to recruiting and retaining top talent. Employees want to learn new skills which will help them perform their job duties on a higher level.
Observe Your Applicants Behavior
Current and past behavior is generally a pretty good indicative of future behavior. Most employers only get to know their applicants on a superficial level and this can be deceiving as just about every job seeker is generally on his or her best behavior when looking for new employment.
Zappos is getting to know prospective applicants on a whole new level by actually observing them outside of the interview process. The company flies out potential employees to their headquarters in Las Vegas, NV. They are chauffeured to their hotels and appointments by the driver who also happens to be on the Zappos staff. The driver observes their interactions and reports back to HR. Individuals who are rude are automatically disqualified. The company only wants to hire those who treat others with respect.
The takeaway here is that you may want to observe the behavior of prospective future employees outside of the office. Perhaps invite them to a work function or outing and observe how they get along with other members of your team. Observe as their true colors come out after a few hours of fun. Having employees that treat one another with respect in and out of the office is important if you want to build a strong team.
