One of the most critical contributions you can make for your organization is hiring good people. In my previous blog post, I talked about how much it costs when employees leave your company. So one of the main factors to avoid people leaving is, of course, to hire the right people.
Every company has their own set of skills, values, and expectations when they start a hiring process. It’s crucial to know what you are looking for before you start searching for new employees. SalesScreen’s ambition is to become the #1 software for any sales team worldwide. This is, of course, a big, hairy goal but our ambition is also the foundation for everything we do, also when it comes to hiring.
Company Values—More Than Just Words
So, how do we become the #1 software for any sales team worldwide? It all comes down to the people who are already here, but also what skills and people we need in the future. If you look away from skills that will vary from each position, we have some key elements that we look for in new team members; people who align with our values and culture.
Our four core values—talent-driven, brave, dedicated and playful—describe us as a company, but are also reflected in the people who are already here. That is why we use these as a guideline when it comes to hiring. When we find people that align with our values, we also find the ones who will fit into our culture. So, let’s set aside all the skills, education and backgrounds and let’s take a look at how our ideal job candidate looks like on a personal level.
Talent-Driven
As a company, we only hire the best, but that does not always mean what you can bring on paper. The potential we see in each candidate is crucial when we hire. At SalesScreen we think that it’s not necessarily about how much you know, but your ability and willingness to learn. Typical keywords for this would be goal-oriented, motivated and high-energy.
Brave
As we are involved in one of the most competitive industries in the world, we are looking for people who want to be brave with us. We encourage our colleagues to constantly grow on individual levels, take chances and find ways to improve. We want people who dare to take on new tasks and that are brave enough to challenge us along the way. “Being brave together is how we will conquer the world.” Keywords: fearless and self-driven.
Dedicated
Work ethic is the backbone of our company, and the dedication people are willing to put in is crucial for our success. That’s the reason we are looking for dedication when we are hiring. People who are willing to work harder than any of our competitors is someone we want in SalesScreen. Keywords: persistent, loyal, honorable.
Playful
As we expect a lot of our colleagues it’s also important to have fun along the way. We strive in having quality time together, and we’re always looking for people who want to be apart of our unique, amazing culture. A united group of co-workers is a very important aspect of our success. I don’t think we need any keywords for this 😉
Summary
Thus far at SalesScreen, we have cultivated a talented, brave, dedicated and playful team through our hiring process—and this will continue to be essential to our success as we scale-up. Remember that it’s not all about on-paper qualifications, or hiring people that are the same as you. It’s often more important to consider intangible qualities and how the candidate will fit into the team, as well as their alignment to your core values. This will lead to happier employees, lower turnover and better company culture.