How purpose is reshaping the future of recruiting and how to be ready when it comes.

I have been a recruiter for 15 years. It’s the same job, but every few years I see a big trend that changes the way recruiting is done.

The next wave has been precipitated by last year’s events…

but unlike others, it is profoundly reshaping recruiting at its core.  

When I first started, my clients, fashion & luxury brands, were looking to recruit candidates who could do the job. This was my first exposure to recruiting. We focused on skills; in fact, nothing else mattered other than skills. If you did the job well at one company, we would offer you the same job at a bigger company. 

This was the Plug & Play era of recruiting or, the Age of Specialists. 

About 8 years ago, my clients shifted and asked me to find them talent who, obviously, could do the job, but would also look the part. Companies found it was important that their brand was well represented. It was a narcissistic approach to recruitment. Brands were recruiting skills, AND employees who looked like them.

This was Marketing-Based recruiting or, The Age of Ambassadors. 

Now, most companies in the fashion & luxury industry are striving to combine the Plug & Play and The Ambassador models. Yet, there is a deeper and bigger shift happening, initiating a new model for recruitment.

Most consumer brands will all, at some point, be recruiting their future employees based on their values. It might sound like a very lofty ideal. However, the trend will be for companies to hire candidates that believe in their brand; either because the candidates know and use their products, or because the candidates are aligned with the company lifestyle, community, products, purpose or message. 

I call it Value-Based recruiting or, the Age of Believers. 

The interesting part of this new trend is that it is driven by candidates, rather than by companies. Nearly nine out of ten, or 86 percent of millennials would consider taking a pay cut to work at a company whose mission and values align with their own, according to LinkedIn’s latest Workplace Culture report. By comparison, only 9 percent of baby boomers would do the same.  

Yet it is proven that employees who are engaged and feel valued perform better and have a higher productivity than those who don’t. So even if the concept of bringing your whole self to work is in its infancy, its value has been proven.  

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Here are 4 simple steps to start working towards that journey of understanding the values you bring to your work: 

1. Acknowledge where you are. 

With experience comes expertise and increased knowledge however, the pitfall can also be habits, blind spots and complacency. Similar to our health, it is important to do regular diagnostics of your career, making sure you are still headed in the right direction. 

Take 2 minutes to write down your current status. What do you enjoy at work? What is missing?

2. Remember your WHY. 

When times are challenging, those who fare the best are often those with a strong north star. They know what drives them, gets them up in the morning... hence, outside events have less of a grip on their professional journey. 

Write down 5 values that matter the most to you, and why they are important. If you can, find personal examples of how they have manifested themselves in your work.

3. Set a clear direction.

This one is the trickiest to tackle because, if 2020 proved anything, it is that things can change extremely quickly. However, if you get in a taxi and don’t give an address, you might see nice views along the way, but it will take a long time for you to get to a destination. It is absolutely the same with one’s career. Setting a goal, even a loose one, is crucial.

Set a professional goal you wish to happen in 5 years, and then, going backwards, set some milestones to make it attainable.

4. Find your people.

Working on your professional goals can feel overwhelming because you are “working on work after work”. The good news is that there is no need to tackle this on your own.  Finding and joining a group of individuals who are also exploring their next endeavor and mapping their careers will bring many benefits, including support and accountability.

Watch our Diversify Your Network webinar to get more ideas on expanding your community.

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Now is the best time to invest in your career. As the world takes more and more unexpected twists and turns, there is a great need to feel aligned with your purpose. Defining how your purpose fits into your career will help map out your path for the coming years, and will hopefully help you to find some solid ground.

The good news is you do not need to do this alone.

Join a group to get clarity on your career and grow your network. And if you want to explore this new way of working, you can join the Clarity Card Method to redefine your career in a step by step program.