We begin this month’s deeper dive into ENX Magazine’s State of the Industry report on corporate culture by examining the importance of integrating core values into a dealer’s hiring process. Please take a moment to check out our feature online, which describes the great pains our dealer panel took in either establishing or correcting a culture to ensure it aligns with the values of leadership and accurately reflects the organization’s aspirations.
Certainly, in cultivating a culture that dealers wish to be reflected among their employees, partners and clients, the best way to ensure that the beliefs and messaging are continuously filtered throughout the organization is to introduce them at the onset of an employment engagement. Our dealers provide insight as to the role corporate culture plays in the selection (and occasionally, as a disqualifier) for would-be candidates.
At XMC, Tennessee, potential employees quickly learn the importance of culture right at the point of the initial handshake, notes Alyssa Hirsh, director of culture and HR for the Bartlett, Tennessee, dealer. “I am regarded as the Culture Warrior within XMC, and I always introduce myself to candidates this way,” she said. “It sets the tone right off the bat that culture is a top priority.”
Of course, this is only the beginning. All would-be employees’ initial interviews are comprised of behavior-based questions that directly tie back to the organization’s core values. If candidates are not deemed to be a culture fit, they do not proceed to the next interview round.
Loffler Companies of Bloomington, Minnesota, also positions its interview questions in a way that reveals whether a potential employee fits the firm’s core values, according to President James Loffler. Using Loffler’s values as a template, candidates are also asked to provide examples of how they have demonstrated those values in previous employment positions or during their personal lives.
Close Circle
When a smaller dealership is seeking to add employees, the decision-making process—particularly as it applies to corporate culture—can take on added significance. A close-knit, family-based atmosphere can more quickly sense when a newcomer isn’t a cultural fit, notes Ray Belanger, president of Rockland, Massachusetts-based Bay Copy.
“It is vital that each hire be a good cultural fit for us, even if it means we hire someone with less experience and qualifications,” Belanger said. “When someone is brought on board who may have superior credentials but isn’t a cultural fit, that person won’t last long. We try to be very discerning in who we invite to join our team.”
Prospective hires to the Bay Copy team are introduced to the people they will work alongside, as well as the position’s managers. Belanger values the opinions of team members, and more pliable candidates who are in sync with the dealer’s team outweigh experience or capabilities shortcomings.
Prospective employees for Premium Digital Office Solutions of Parsippany, New Jersey, need to endure a three-round interview process where expectations and values are thoroughly communicated. This provides partner Van Seretis with as much feedback as necessary to gauge whether a candidate is an ideal fit.
Critical Choices
Given that new hires in the sales department typically embark on a three- to six-month training period at the onset, not having a candidate ultimately pan out can be an expensive and frustrating proposition, according to Seretis. But he’s been in the business long enough to trust his gut instincts, which have typically served him well in assessing potential newcomers. If they don’t mesh early on, that’s when either the candidate or the employer begins to look elsewhere.
“I’ve made some good calls and made some bad ones,” he said. “Some people are very good interviewers, they say all the right things. But then their work ethic doesn’t match what they say they’re going to do. You have to have thick skin in sales, otherwise, you’re not going to make it.”
Applied Imaging of Grand Rapids, Michigan, has the benefit of reputation working in its favor. According to President and CEO John Lowery, the best employment candidates have done their research into the company, know about the firm’s Best Places to Work, and they’ve familiarized themselves with Applied Chemistry and the Elements of Success—driving forces behind the dealer’s corporate values.
Key to ensuring candidates are continuing to buy into Applied Imaging’s beliefs system is the perception survey, which delves into cooperation and trust while tying in integrity. Lowery notes the survey results come back “off the charts” for new employees.
“To me, it’s very representative, showing that there’s a huge overlap between our values and the values of the employees coming in,” he said. “We’re not an easy place to get a job. We have a lot of people who say they’ve been trying to get into Applied Imaging for a number of years.”
