In today’s job market, it’s essential to recruit candidates that will not only excel in a role, but thrive in your company’s culture.
According to Forbes, millennials value company culture more than any other generation before them. And while Generation Z is just starting to enter the workforce, company culture also ranks as one of the top factors that influences their decision to accept a job offer – RippleMatch’s own data from a survey of entry-level candidates found that 68% of respondents selected “Company Culture” as a factor that led to their accepted offer.
It’s clear that in order to recruit competitive up-and-coming talent, it’s important for companies today to not only build a community where entry-level candidates feel valued and welcomed, but to successfully convey that culture to candidates during the hiring process. While it’s important for a candidate to put their best foot forward during the job search, they expect you to do the same. A job interview is a two-way street. This means while you’re evaluating a candidate’s fit for a role, they are also evaluating you, your company, and the overall environment of your office. To help you make the best first impression possible, here are four ways to showcase your company’s culture to talented candidates from the beginning of their search to the end of the interview process.
Sharpen up your careers page
A careers site’s purpose should not only be for application submissions. It should also show why talented candidates would want to work with your company. An inviting careers page can be a great resource for potential candidates to utilize when researching a company. In fact, a company’s website is the number one provider of information for entry-level candidates, according to data collected by RippleMatch. The data shows that 84% of respondents to RippleMatch’s Candidate Experience Survey claimed they visited a potential company’s website to learn more after matching with them through RippleMatch.
With this in mind, investing in an engaging website that reflects your culture could really make a difference when recruiting top talent. Here’s a few ways to get started.
Share how your company’s visions and values contribute to your culture
Simply stating your mission statement and company values is one thing, but aligning the rest of the page’s content to show how those values manifest in culture is another. For example, if one of your company’s values is “Constant learning,” show real examples of how that shows up in your culture. To showcase that specific value, you could spotlight an employee who has grown with your company through the years, or share an example of a team-building event that facilitates learning.
TripAdvisor’s careers page is a great example of an engaging page that promotes more than just its open positions. Visitors to TripAdvisor’s page can find the company’s values, employee spotlights, awards, and a clear link to an additional page on company culture and life.
Invest in video
If you want to engage the newest generation of candidates, you should invest in an original video that showcases aspects of your company culture. According to a study by Pearson, 59% of Gen Z says that YouTube (AKA videos) is their preferred method of learning. Creating an original video (or several) is a great way to engage Gen Z candidates while showing off the personality and fun that exists at your company.
Consider adding employee spotlights, testimonials, and any other videos that can showcase a unique part of your culture. The TripAdvisor careers page, for example, includes a “Meet TripAdvisor Employees” section, where different employees discuss their day-to-day responsibilities as well as their favorite parts of working at TripAdvisor. TripAdvisor also has several videos on their “Get to Know Us” page, that include a message from the CEO, benefits and life, and philanthropy.
A memorable, authentic, and engaging careers page can personalize the candidate experience tremendously and give candidates a glimpse of your culture, positively positioning your company early on in a candidate’s job search.
Create social channels dedicated to showcasing company culture
Social media is an instant way to connect with potential candidates and show job seekers an authentic view of company life. However, it isn’t realistic for most companies to dedicate their entire social media presence to showcasing company culture. For companies that want to stand out to candidates, it can be a smart move to create a separate page for company culture.
Insider Inc., for example, has an Instagram page that showcases company events, philanthropic efforts, and life in the office. Candidates looking at Insider’s culture Instagram would get a sense of the close-knit community and fun, service-driven company culture. Insider also includes their Instagram page at the bottom of their Careers Page on their website, giving candidates browsing the website a chance to see what company life is like.
Insider Inc.’s Culture Instagram
Like Insider’s Instagram account, a genuine and engaging social media profile allows potential candidates to get a behind-the-scenes view on what it could be like to work with you. Visual content is the key to successful and engaging social media channels, so make sure to include plenty of photos and videos throughout your social media channels of company employees and events.
Whichever platform you choose to leverage, be it Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn, remember to stay true to your company’s brand and voice. In other words, don’t force a social media presence that doesn’t particularly align with what you stand for. When it comes to social media, candidates will respond more favorably to a social media profile with useful information to an inauthentic one.
Take candidates on an office tour
When interviewing candidates for a job, be sure to take them on an office tour. It’s a simple step of the interview process that can really make a difference. The office space and the employees you interact with along the way can say a lot to potential employees about your company culture.
Do other employees say hi when potential candidates walk by? Are there comfortable chairs for people to work in around the office? What type of music (if any) is playing around the office or in the kitchen area? What’s the office decor like? Are people engaging in conversation or working in groups? These are things that can really stand out to talented candidates — and can give your company a leg up when they make their decision.
At Epic, a healthcare software company, staff members take candidates on a tour of two Epic campuses and explain the design decisions, from the creation of spaces that facilitate creativity and productivity to sustainability throughout construction.
“Showing our campus environment to candidates achieves two goals: It’s another opportunity during the day to share our company culture with the candidate. And it gives candidates a boots-on-the-ground sense for what it’s like working here,” said Nicole Hilsenhoff, talent recruiter at Epic. “Both help the candidate envision a career with us.”
An aerial view of part of Epic’s campus
Have candidates meet a cross-section of current employees
Epic also uses their campus tours as a way to introduce prospective hires to employees in various roles. Campus tours are led by a range of Epic employees, allowing candidates to talk with employees besides their interviewer or HR. On top of that, candidates meet with staff from the roles they’ve applied to multiple times throughout the interview day.
This is one of the best ways to showcase your company culture to prospective hires. Don’t limit the interview process to meeting with the hiring manager or the direct manager. If you’re trying to give a true insight into what working at your company is like, let candidates interact with other employees.
Have a staff member grab the interviewee a few minutes before the interview begins to give them an office tour or even chat for a few minutes. Likewise, consider allowing someone from another department to conduct a part of the interview. Encourage these employees to discuss your company culture and any non-work related elements of the job as well as answer any questions a candidate may have. By giving the candidate a chance to interact with more people, they’re able to form a more well-rounded view of your culture. Not to mention, it can also increase a sense of credibility for candidates — the interview doesn’t feel like a pitch.
The job search is a mutual process. While employers are determining if a candidate is qualified for the position, that candidate is wondering whether or not they would fit in and be happy working in the office. By implementing just a few of these strategies, your company can stand out during a talented candidate’s entire job search.
Find out more about how today’s entry-level candidates are engaging with employers – download our infographic on the top resources candidates use to research companies here.
