The season might be over but we are still just as in love with our Winnipeg Jets team as we were when it was first announced they were coming back. A new team into our well established city had no problem finding a warm welcome.
So it got me thinking, we as recruiters know first-hand that organizations often face the challenge of introducing new employees in to a well established team which led me to thinking about the Winnipeg Jets jersey. So how is this connected? Well let me talk about my own team. We’re connected by a strong culture, there is great camaraderie and support. We celebrate the wins and we mourn the losses together. With our jersey, you can’t touch it or see it, but you know it’s there – that’s our unifying factor. It’s our uni-form.
What I have learned from working with so many clients over the years, is the best way of introducing a new employee to an existing culture is to be certain that during your recruitment process you are patient and thorough with your candidates. Ask yourself this question, “could this individual wear our team jersey”? You can be assured that many candidates will be asking the same question of themselves. The candidates need information, the good, the bad, the ugly and you have to be willing to give it. Those candidates need to interview you as much as you need to interview them so if you can, be sure to offer that to them. Our success has come from recognizing that the candidate fit is as important, if not more important, than the list of qualifications set out for the role. This is mission critical to retention.
