Five top tips for embedding Values Based Recruitment into your organisation

1. Identify and clearly describe what values are important to your team and organisation

Clearly defining your values and behaviours is the first and most important step in embedding Values Based Recruitment.

Try to articulate and identify what values and behaviours are most important to your work. Think about how these values and behaviours could be included into every stage of your recruitment process. 

Top tips and take aways

• Involve your staff, and service users or customers in identifying your main values.
• If you already have organisational values in place, are the behaviours clearly described to help explain what staff are expected to do when showing those values?  If not, create a set of behaviours that show clearly what people need to do when putting your organisation’s values into practice in their work.

2. Share your values with diverse pools of potential recruits using values based recruitment marketing approaches

Look at your recruitment adverts and think if they really sell the values that you’ve identified as being important. Are the adverts likely to attract a diverse range of applications? 

You may see lots of opportunities to make the adverts more engaging by selling the values. It’s important to remember that we needed to appeal to people’s hearts as well as their minds!

Top tips and take aways

• Review your adverts to make sure they reflect and sell your values, and attract people who share those values.
• Make sure your adverts are inclusive in the language and images you use. Are the adverts placed in areas where they will attract a diverse range of applicants who share your values?

3. Help candidates to easily and effectively share their values when applying for roles

Does your standard application form and job descriptions reflect your values, or give candidates an opportunity to share their values when applying?

It’s important for you to be able to see whether the people you invite to interview know about, and share your values. It’s also important for candidates to have an opportunity to think about your values and how they resonate with them before they apply. 

Top tips and take aways

• Create an application pack to send to candidates which includes your values, behaviours, culture and the role. Ask the candidate to share how their values and passions aligns with your organisation.  This could be presented through a cover letter or on the additional information section of on the application form.
• Review your job descriptions and person specifications to make sure they include the values and behaviours you are looking for.  If you can’t re-write them, look how you can tweak and add in statements, such as “demonstrate our team values in all of your work”. 

4. Identify how candidates share your values and vision

You can do this by using a range of value based selection tools, including values based interviewing.

There are so many ways you can assess whether candidates share your values in the selection process, and values based interviewing is an effective way to do this. Many Care Managers in Wales are already using service user activities, group exercises, presentations, and written activities during interviews. This can help you learn more about your candidate’s motivations and values, and for them to learn more about your roles and organisation. 

Top tips and take aways:

• Review your current selection process and how you are assessing candidates’ values and behaviours. Is your process allowing you to successfully find the candidates who will continue to show these values and behaviours six months into the post? If not, what can you change or do differently?
• Ask values based questions in your interview process so that candidates can give you examples of times when they’ve put your values into practice.

5. Embed your values into the induction, training, and management of new staff to help them learn your values based culture

Values based safe recruitment begins, and does not end, once someone is offered a role. 

To retain staff who share your values and who will make a difference to others every day, you have to set them up for success. Share your expectations with them from the start, so they know how to be the best version of themselves. 

Including your values and behaviours into the induction process makes sure that new staff knows from day one what you expected of them. Through ongoing training, supervision and support, you can make sure they feel valued, safe to share concerns, and empowered to show their values and behaviours in their work. 

Top tips and take aways:

• Review your induction and training programme for new recruits and identify opportunities to embed your values and behaviours more effectively.
• Include discussions with new staff members of how they are demonstrating your organisations values and behaviours. Supervision, one-to-ones and appraisals can be opportunities to value and support them. They can also be an opportunity to identify and respond to any issues at an early stage.