While during a labour shortage it can sometimes feel like a warm body, any warm body, will do, setting a higher staffing bar is still in an organization’s best interest. Having the right people, not just a warm body, in place can be a game changer for an organization – it can mean the difference between a thriving and growing business and one that is struggling to get by.
Good team members are the backbone of any successful company. Hiring a bad fit is expensive. It’s time consuming. It can be an exercise in frustration. It can cause damage. So, how can an organization go about ensuring that they get the right people onboard?
Top Three Strategies for Getting the Right Staff in Place
#1: Be Clear About Your Corporate Culture and Values
Finding employees that align with your corporate culture and values will make for a better all-around fit. Is your organization clear on what it’s corporate culture and values are, and are you finding ways to communicate this to prospective employees?
Corporate culture is one of the most important factors when it comes to employee recruitment. Candidates these days have options when it comes to employers, so they are seeking out those organizations where they will feel like they truly belong and feel comfortable with how the organization conducts itself.
WealthCo President, Sophie Blais, believes deeply in the importance of a strong corporate culture and clearly articulated values, and has witnessed firsthand how this culture has impacted our ongoing organizational growth.
“We have attracted and retained a high-performing team with the right people in the right positions. Everyone is excited to be a part of the team and embraces our vision, values, and strategic plan. We are a company of intrapreneurs who value creativity, curiosity, and innovation.”
#2: Look Beyond the Resume
When looking to fill a position in your company, it's important to look beyond the qualifications listed on paper. Skills can be learned, but character is key. Hiring someone who meshes well with the company culture and its employees is essential for a successful team.
While resumes are a must-have during the recruitment process and an excellent way to weed out prospects who are missing specific qualifications, credentials, or experience, they don’t give the full picture of a potential candidate. Better understanding why an individual has the career path that they do, as opposed to how they got there, can be tremendously valuable in assessing whether they are a candidate that is worthy of consideration.
“I like to look for someone who is well-rounded,” Blais shares. “Life isn’t all about work. We look for team members that have interests outside of work and who are involved in their communities.”
As far as what to look for in a resume, Blais gives the following advice.
“I personally prefer a shorter resume over a novel – one that succinctly tells the story of a candidates’ education, job, and skill development history. I am always on the lookout for gaps in work history, or evidence that the individual has moved around a lot.”
And, of course, it goes without saying that a resume riddled with typos and errors is a big red flag.
#3: Take Advantage of Personality Profiling Tools
The use of personality profiling, not only with current team members, but also with prospective team members, has increased dramatically in recent years – in fact, 64% of hiring managers use personality profile testing as part of their screening process. Including here at WealthCo.
“These personality profiles - we use Kolbe, PRINT, and Strength Finders – are an integral piece of our people lifecycle. We use them from recruitment to training to ongoing coaching and development,” Blais explains. “These profiles help to identify our teams ‘unique abilities’ and what makes them tick, which gives a huge advantage when it comes to problem solving. When you better understand yourself and how you operate, what your internal motivators are, how you best communicate, you become a better all-around human – including a better colleague and team member.”
At WealthCo, the results of these personality profiles are not only shared with the team member themselves, but also with their colleagues, giving them valuable insights into their peers, and how to best work with and communicate with them.
“It’s been a gamechanger for us,” Blais shares. “It identifies potential differences in communication styles early on so colleagues can plan accordingly versus stubbing their toes in the early stages of a new work relationship. It better sets our team members up for success in their role and within the broader team.”
Furthermore, it speaks to the importance of our people at WealthCo.
“Prospects for roles have commented time and time again that they appreciate the focus on getting to know them. That the fact that we spend this much time and investment upfront in better understanding them shows how much we truly value our team.”
Keeping Them Once You Have Them
It’s a big win to get that puzzle piece of an employee in place, that person who fits the role, fits the organization, and fits the corporate culture perfectly. But once you have them onboard, how can you make sure to keep them?
By living your corporate culture, for starters. This corporate culture was part of the decision-making process for your employee, so it’s important to walk the talk.
“Focus on culture and a healthy work environment,” Blais recommends. “This doesn’t happen just once a year but rather every day for each person in the firm.”
Communication is critical; you can never communicate too much or too often. Build in processes and mechanisms for regular feedback and an open and transparent flow of communication around what is working, and what is not.
And finally, provide clear paths for growth and development.
“Invest in your team’s growth and development – it is one of the best investments your company can make. We support our team financially in getting training, designations, upskilling, and it always pays off.”
As President, Sophie drives WealthCo’s ‘WOW’ client experience, ensuring that our CPA partner firms get best-in-class service at every level. Sophie provides inspired leadership and sounds management that establishes credibility and promotes an entrepreneurial team culture. Sophie lives and breathes WealthCo’s core values of respect, teamwork, leadership, accountability, and passion.
The Integrated Advisory community consists of a network of progressive CPA firms, along with best-in-class professional advisors, service, and product specialists, who work together to deliver an elevated and holistic client experience. One that optimizes both their personal and professional lives with an integrated financial strategy designed to help clients reach their goals.
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