What is Values-based Recruitment?
At its most basic, values-based recruiting involves attracting and selecting individuals based on whether their values and behaviours match those of your organisation.
Some methods are entirely values-based, whilst others use a combination of values and skills known as a Competency and Values Framework (CVF). The CVF expresses the values in behavioural terms. Competencies are often behaviours (or, in some cases, technical abilities) associated with good work performance. The technique underlying these approaches is designed to ensure fair, objective, trustworthy, and valid evaluation methodologies.
You can teach candidates skills and competencies, but you cannot teach them to be the right cultural fit for your organisation - that is inherent in them, and so being able to look for and assess this in the recruitment process is critical to ensuring you hire the right candidate for your company.
The Benefits of Values-Based Recruitment
Putting principles first throughout the recruiting process does more than ensure that everyone is on the same page. Some of the advantages of a values-based recruitment approach include:
A healthy working environment
Boosted staff morale
Increased staff participation
Lower employee turnover
Increased Productivity
Integrating values across the hiring process
Person specification and job description
Examine your organisation's beliefs and behaviours and consider which are essential in this capacity, what would make someone successful in this role, and which behaviours you would want to avoid. Include these particulars as bullet points in the person specification.
Job posting
Include the organisation's values in all advertisements and clarify that you are a values-based organisation looking for people who share your beliefs. This should attract those who may not have previously explored a career in care and deter persons who do not share your ideals.
Application procedure
After you've included the values in the person specification, you may ask applicants to address them during the application process, demonstrating how their values connect with yours. This might be accomplished by taking personality-based skills assessments or requesting them to submit a cover letter outlining why they're a perfect organisation and how their values align with yours.
You may also add this on your application form where you ask for a supporting statement, explicitly asking them to provide examples from their personal or professional lives where they've displayed the ideals.
Tasks and interviews
Allow applicants to exhibit their values and behaviours to you throughout the rest of the application and selection process. This might be accomplished by:
Interviews based on values
activities that include the individuals you help
written exercises in which applicants illustrate how they would make decisions or prioritise tasks based on their principles
presentations in which applicants describe what they believe the position entails, as well as why and how they share the organisation's values.
Job offer letter
Ensure that all employment offers are conditional on completing all appropriate checks, including references, and use them to inquire about the character of the individual and if they would be suited for your post. Ensure that referees receive a copy of the person specification as well as the values of the organisation so that they can provide an educated and appropriate reference.
