How a Mission Statement Can Help You Hire Right

Do you have a mission statement for your small business? If so, is it tucked away in a drawer somewhere, or is it posted prominently in your business? Or perhaps it doesn’t need to be visible, because you and your employees know it by heart. A mission statement sums up (ideally in one or two sentences) what the mission of your company is. Some of the questions your mission statement should answer include:

• Who are our target customers?
• What does our company do?
• How do we do it differently than our competitors?
• What value do we bring to our customers, community and employees?
• What is it like to work here?

Notice I’m saying “our” and “we,” not “my” and “I.” That’s because your mission statement doesn’t just belong to you—it belongs to your entire team. Entrepreneurs often think of the mission statement as a way to keep themselves on track, but in reality, the mission statement not only keeps your employees on track, too, but can also help you hire employees who are a perfect fit for your company. How can you use your small business mission statement to hire right? Here are four steps to follow.

1. Involve employees in developing your small business mission statement. You might create the rough draft, but you should get input from your team to make sure your mission statement is honest, relevant and real to them. Otherwise, it’s just going to sound like something from a “Dilbert” comic strip.
2. Promote your mission statement to the public. Your mission statement should be visible on your company website, Glassdoor profile, in your location, maybe even on your marketing materials. Sharing your mission statement with the world reminds you to live it on a daily basis—and also gives prospective employees insights into what your company is all about.
3. Use your small business mission statement in your search for job candidates. Mention your mission wherever you’re searching for employees, including in your social media outreach for job hunters. Make it clear that you’re looking for job candidates who can get excited about your mission and help it come to life.
4. Discuss your mission statement in job interviews. Ask candidates to share how your mission statement resonates with them, why they’re passionate about it, and examples of how they’ve lived a similar mission in past jobs (or why they haven’t, but want to). What can each candidate bring to your company that will get you one step closer to achieving your mission?

Done right, a mission statement is more than just words on a paper—much more. It can be a critical tool for finding employees whose personalities, goals and values mesh with those of your team and your company.