How to Hire for Values: The VIP Way

Hiring the right employee isn’t just about skills or experience—it’s about values. Skills and experience are important – no doubt!  But what if you hire someone with all of the right skills and experience but they are not aligned with your organization’s core values?  Furthermore, what if they stay a very long time or forever, all the while making it difficult for others (who are aligned with your organization’s core values) to produce results and remain positively engaged?   Misalignment in core values can be detrimental to the longevity of an organization’s culture journey and their hiring process.  Those who are not aligned with core values are essentially ‘draining water from other employees’ water bottles.’  The same misalignment can also trip quality applicants up or potentially deter them from applying for open positions because they see the misalignment or have heard stories from your other employees about the dysfunction and misalignment. Or even worse, experienced it through the recruitment process firsthand.

The first expectation of our 9 Expectations is Champion Organizational Values and Pride.  The second expectation is Champion Operational Excellence.  Champion Organizational Values and Pride is the ‘what’ behind an organization’s culture and pride.  What does it look like to work at company XYZ, ‘what’ are the core values words and ‘what’ are the behaviors behind the words that help us walk that walk and talk the talk on a daily basis.  Champion Organizational Excellence is the ‘how’ we measure all the things that make us excellent in our culture:  both in terms of values and performance.  The idea that is also supported and upheld by both leaders and employees – a concept we refer to as a two-way street.

Ensuring your next employee is a fit for your organization is a key component to ensuring your recruiting process is robust and operationally excellent.  Measuring a robust hiring process can come in a couple of formats that are commonly used in organizations.  They are typically data points like turnover rates and employee engagement scores.  We also believe that upward feedback surveys can serve as a barometer to a robust hiring process too – especially since it’s mostly known employees stay (or go) based on how well they are led by others within an organization (I.e. leadership).

Here’s a few tips about how to hire with values in mind, The VIP Way:

1. Start with your Core Values

Company values define the character or heartbeat of an organization. It’s about hiring people who already live the values your company shares. If aptitude is there, you can train the skills required and provide opportunities for experience.  But you can't train someone to be honest or compassionate—they either are or they aren’t. So instead of jumping straight to technical skills, start your hiring process by disclosing that core values are non-negotiable for your team. Share your core values in the job posting and job description. Include questions and conversation about them during the pre-screen process and ask for examples where the applicant ‘lived them out’.  Make it clear that you’re looking for people who care about how they do the work, not just the results they deliver.

Ask questions like:

• “Tell me about a time you stood up for what you believed in, even when it was hard.”

• “Have you ever seen something unethical at work? What did you do?”

• “Tell me about someone in your life that you respect and look up to, and why.”

These aren’t trick questions—they’re windows into how a candidate naturally behaves.

2. Look for Integrity in Action

Integrity is consistency between words and actions. Watch how candidates treat everyone—not just the hiring manager. Did they greet the receptionist? Were they respectful to all levels of staff? Did they follow up when they said they would?

Red flag: If someone cuts corners before they’re even hired, don’t expect them to act with integrity once they're on the payroll.

3. Hire for Purpose, Not Just Performance

Purpose fuels engagement. When people believe in what they’re doing, they bring more than talent—they bring heart. When creating a robust hiring process, using The VIP Way, you look for candidates who want to be part of something meaningful, not just earn a paycheck.

Ask:

• “Why do you want to work here?”

• “What kind of impact do you hope to have in your work?”

• “Explain your personal mission and how you feel it aligns with our company’s mission and work.”

Look for answers that show alignment with your company’s mission, not just personal ambition.

4. Trust Your Gut—but Back It Up

Hiring for cultural fit isn’t about hiring people who look like us—it’s about shared values. If something feels off, dig deeper and involve multiple people in the recruiting process. But also back up your instincts with structured interviews, reference checks, and behavioral assessments that align with The VIP Way  framework.

In a world that moves fast, values are your compass. The VIP Way isn’t just about hiring better employees—it’s about building a team that treats people with dignity, owns their actions, and shows up with purpose every day. If you want a workplace where people thrive, start by hiring for values, integrity, and purpose.