Your business isn't a machine full of featureless cogs. You’re a group of people with common goals, a shared culture, and priorities that differ from your competitors’. When hiring someone new into this environment, it's not enough for them to have the skills for the job; they also need to have a personality, outlook, and approach to their work that fits with your company's values. To screen for this kind of suitability, you and your consulting agency should use the following methods.

How You & Your Consulting Agency Can Find the Right Applicants

1. Live Your Values

Many companies have mission statements, but not all live up to them. The organization’s values need to be integrated into its processes and inform decisions at every level. For example, if you value innovation, there should be systems in place to reward creative thinking, and your employees should not be bound up with unnecessarily rigid rules.

2. Advertise Your Values

When you put out a job posting either publicly or to a consulting agency, don't just describe the basic requirements of the position. Talk about your company's culture and the ways your workflow and management practices reflect this. Terrific candidates will be attracted to the position because the values and practices you describe resonate with them.

3. Ask During the Interview

An interview is the best opportunity to get to know a candidate before hiring them. During this process, ask them open-ended questions to get detailed and authentic answers. For example, you'll get better results if you skip "Are you comfortable collaborating with others?" and instead ask for examples of times the candidate has collaborated on projects in the past.

If you want the best fit for the job, a consulting agency will help screen candidates and send you compatible applications. Yancey Consulting in St. Louis, MO, has a stellar track record pairing skilled applicants with companies where they belong. Business adviser Lori Yancey has over 20 years of experience in both facilitating the hiring process and coaching job applicants. To get started, call (314) 614-7542 or explore her services online.