“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.” - Steve Jobs
These days, this might be called ‘purpose’.
And regardless of whether you embrace this term, the simple fact remains: hiring people who want to work with you, buy into your brand and believe in your mission, is the only way to ensure complete commitment. Or at least something close to it.
Because now, as the working world whirls, the bold tread intrepidly into a new dawn, where loyalty is a premium and expectations are high. Barriers to commercial entry are lower than ever before. So, identifying your business as being different from others has never been more important.
But wait. At the time of writing, we’re tipping the scales of exaggerated unemployment. With an overload of applicants for every post, some candidates will tell you what you want to hear. Many skilled, motivated, talented people are looking for meaningful work, but there is a danger that some will simply settle for a secondment, a job for a while, and often the first one they are offered.
And can you blame them?
So just how do you hire people who 100% want to work for you? And is this even real?
For people to perform their best, they need to be engaged with their job and motivated to do it. Many of the best performers attest to the fact they love their job. But these people must be bought into your vision and company mission, not just the paycheque.
“Paul and I, we never thought that we would make much money out of the thing. We just loved writing software.” – Bill Gates
Create a brand that attracts the right people and repels the wrong. What does your business stand for? This should be front and centre of any job adverts. Look for evidence they have researched your company in detail, and not just glanced over the website and key LinkedIn/obvious social profiles. Engaged candidates will ask intelligent and well-thought-out questions about your company.
And, of course, during the interview process, there are significant questions you can ask to identify the heroes from the villains, the here-to-stays from the transient:
Ask the right questions to identify if there is a 100% (as best as possible, remember) career match. Here’s some to get you thinking:
Which job you’ve held so far has been your least favourite and why?
And which job has been your favourite and why?
In the happiest job you’ve had to date, which work have you been most proud of and why?
What was it about that environment that helped you to succeed?
What support would you need to be successful in this role?
Then uncover their passions:
What most interests you about the role/sector?
Tell me about your career goals for the next 18-months: (Hugely important for the above reasons)
What skills do you need to develop to achieve these goals and what support do you need to achieve these?
Put any biases aside and consider the career match. For someone to be a high performer, they need to want to perform. For that, they need a purpose. 100%.
The person with the best skills and experience may not be the best hire.