Answer the “Why work for us?” question
You know the company you’re at now? Why are you working there? If you can’t answer this, how do you convince candidates to choose your company over another one?
Here are 3 ways you can win candidates over with the “Why work for us?” question:
1. Forget the “model answer”.
Some employees and HR professionals have preconceived ideas that the EVP has to be about integrity, diversity, respect, innovation and a list of other buzzwords. The truth is no company will ever say they don’t support these values, hence nullifying your company’s unique selling point.
Tips: Before you interview a candidate, ask your colleagues to name 3 reasons why they’re still with this company. Their answers may be as simple as: “The child care hours are longer” or “The free meals are exactly what I need”. But whatever the reasons are, you’ll know for sure that they are real and you’ll stay away from the buzzwords and standardised stock answers such as: “We work approximately 50 hours a week and get paid for working overtime” and “We have a great work-life balance”. Let your authenticity convince your candidates.
2. Align company purpose with individual’s purpose.
(Works especially well for non-incentive-driven candidates)
The emerging workforce is not just looking for a high salary or a successful career. They are looking for the answer to: “What do I want to do with my life?” A career is an important part of their identity and consequently an integral part of their life in general. Work = who they are, not just a way of making money.
Tips: Ask your HR director or find your company’s mission statement via the company website. You should be looking for something similar to these: Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. Facebook’s mission is to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected. Then, articulate your company’s vision to your employees and invite them to be part of something bigger. Since only 41% of employees felt that they know what their company stands for, this is your chance to sell the company’s mission and carve a special space in your candidates’ minds.
Tips: Make sure your mission benefits the world and is universal across countries… something that will make the world a better place.
“Your employer brand isn’t what you say it is. It’s what people tell you it is.” - Sir Terry Leahy (former CEO of Tesco).
3. Create a culture where employees willingly talk about the company.
Word-of-mouth from friends and workmates are always perceived to be more trustworthy than anything a company says about itself. Leverage on their authentic opinion to promote your employer brand.
Tips: Reward honesty. Whenever employees, offline or online, express something that is hard to say, give them a pat on the shoulder or email them a simple line like: “I love you for saying that and being the devil’s advocate.” This will slowly create a culture where criticisms are interpreted as kind reminders and fear from management will be turned into opportunity for growth. You’ll also see a lot more company mentions on Glassdoor.
Last words.
To answer the questions: “Why work for us?” or “Why are you working at your current company?” start by asking yourself the following:
Job: How much autonomy, challenge, and availability of resources will I get in this job?
Salary, allowance and benefits: Do I like the working conditions, salary and flexible working hours?
Leadership style: How are feedback, recognition, criticism and fairness expressed by the management?
Organisation culture: What is this company’s guiding principle? A value? Money? A combination of both? Does this company value collective or individual output, results over effort, flat or hierarchical and how do I like it?
These are great starting points for you to find your company’s answer to the “Why work for us?” question. Good luck.
