People with goals are often more driven to succeed, and the workforce is no exception. Harvard Business Review reinforces this idea, stating that establishing and monitoring targets can give your employees meaningful input on their performance while inspiring them to achieve more.
By building a team focused on maximizing their greatest leadership potential, you can create a workforce that thrives on goal-setting and gives employees ownership of the process. However, before you can enhance your team, you must find candidates who have short-term and long-term goals that align with your organization.
Here are some practices to keep in mind as you seek candidates who will meet your company-wide objectives.
Make sure candidates align with your company’s goals and values.
Would you hire an event planner with a completely different vision for your event than you? Probably not! The same concept goes for hiring. Each candidate you consider for your organization should have a work ethic and mindset that connects to your company’s goals. If candidates lack a clear understanding of how their role will contribute to the “big picture” of your organization, they probably won’t make the best addition to your team.
No matter how qualified candidates are, they should also be able to clearly articulate how their individual role will affect the company or institution as a whole. If you come across candidates who seem dismissive or disinterested in what your company stands for, it’s time to move on and find other talent. The last thing you want to do is hire candidates who can’t see how their performance will make a difference.
Evaluate the candidate’s interest in continuous goals.
As you evaluate candidates, be sure to see if they’re interested in working with a manager or workplace mentor to reach individual goals over time. Give them examples of goals they would be expected to meet in their job so you can get a sense of how motivated candidates are to excel and navigate challenges.
The best type of candidates are those who take advantage of opportunities that showcase their leadership skills, striving to make an impact on their organization beyond their typical workplace responsibilities. Help candidates understand what lies ahead to get an indication of their motivation levels and how driven they will be to surpass expectations once they’re hired.
Ask candidates about their personal goals.
Understanding candidates’ personal goals can be very helpful in determining their ability to succeed with your organization. As noted in Harvard Business Review, employees who are more personally connected to your corporate goals will be more invested in your organization. For example, if candidates have a personal goal to mentor disadvantaged youth in their spare time, they may be a good fit to train peers or less experienced colleagues as part of their job. You’ll be surprised to discover how often personal interests and skills can overlap with company objectives. When candidates have personal interests that connect to one or more of your organizational values, you can feel confident they will be an asset to your company at large.
Hopefully you’re starting to see the important role employees’ future goals and interests play within the context of your entire workforce. It’s not enough to simply assume candidates will work toward meeting your company’s goals. You must dig deeper to learn how their personal and professional interests will connect to your company’s long-term mission.
Failing to consider goals as part of your candidate evaluation process can result in poor hiring decisions, leading to poor job satisfaction, low productivity, and worst of all, loss of funds and resources.