The importance of corporate culture

For job seekers and managers alike, culture is of greater importance than many realise. Potential employees are attracted to organisations based on their cultural reputation; organisations select employees who will “fit” their culture.

The most highly skilled professional can join an organisation only to find they don't fit culturally.  If you are not including your corporate culture into the hiring process, you may be making a big mistake.

So what is corporate culture?

Generally referred to as ‘the way we do things around here’, it is the organisation's attitudes, routines, beliefs, customs and norms. New employees can find that differences of opinion with regard to any of the above can quickly leave them feeling like an outsider and employers can feel they have a misfit on their hands.

Top tips to consider:

• Know your company's corporate culture - Take some time to talk to existing employees who know the company well to find out their views on the company's corporate culture. Analyse the company policies. Is the company welcoming to families, does it offer a suitable work-life balance and/or flexible hours. Is your company community-service oriented? Once you know your culture, you will be able to tell your candidates about it.
• Take some time to talk to existing employees who know the company well to find out their views on the company's corporate culture
• Prepare interview questions to test for the right cultural fit - During the interview process you will need to ask the right questions to see if a candidate will fit your corporate culture.
• Know the importance of corporate culture internally - How important do your existing employee’s think cultural fit is? If you are a smaller company, fit might impact you more than it would a larger company.
• Use a specialist to manage the process - Using a recruitment consultancy can help pre-empt any future culture-clash problems. Specialist recruitment consultancies like Robert Walters will take the time to find out as much as they can about an organisation and its corporate culture to ensure that the jobseeker and the employer complement each other.

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For more hiring advice please contact:

Nic Sephton-Poultney, Country Manager (South Africa)
nic.sephton-poultney@robertwalters.com
+27 (0) 11 881 2414