Have you ever hired someone who had a promising resume but didn’t do well after getting hired? This is a common issue when recruiters focus too much on resumes and surface-level criteria, rather than on whether the person’s values and mindset truly fit the team.
One emerging way to solve this challenge is values-based hiring: an approach where employers focus on hiring people for the value they bring—not just the paperwork. In this article, we discuss what values-based hiring is and why it’s a powerful way to build better teams.
What Is Values-Based Hiring—and How Does It Work?
Values-based hiring focuses on candidates as people—with their own unique behaviors, attitudes, and motivations—instead of evaluating them solely by resumes or test scores.
In practice, it often starts by identifying your organization’s core values, then building interview questions and assessments around them. Instead of focusing only on credentials or job history, employers consider:
- Shared Values. Does the candidate believe in what the company stands for?
- Attitude and Mindset. Do they have resilience, a learning mindset, and an openness to working with others?
- Cultural Fit. Do they seem like someone who can contribute to your company culture in a meaningful way?
- Potential to Grow. Can they learn and improve, even if they don’t have all the skills yet?
- Motivation. Are they excited about your mission—not just the job?
These questions can help guide values-based interviews if you’re considering this approach. For practical ideas on how to structure your interviews, these five interview techniques for assessing job fit are also a great place to start.
Why Values-Based Hiring Is More Effective Than Traditional Hiring
Recruiting people based on similar values has many benefits that go beyond simple compatibility. Here are some of them:
1. It Helps You Identify Mission-Driven Candidates
It’s one thing to recruit a skilled employee. It’s another to hire someone who believes in your company’s goals and actively contributes to them.
If you want the latter, values-based hiring is your best option. By focusing on the person, you gain better insight into whether candidates align with your mission.
2. It Helps You Spot High-Potential Talent Early
Successful recruitment allows you to identify potential leaders even in the early stages of hiring.
Sometimes, resumes and interviews can reveal this. But values-based hiring also helps uncover potential that traditional strategies often miss. Many high performers start out with limited credentials but show strengths like humility, curiosity, and learning agility down the line.
3. It Helps You Improve Retention Through Compatibility
According to Work Institute’s most recent report on employee retention, one of the main reasons for turnover is environment, which includes “organization culture” and “mission and values.”¹
Employees may have good salaries and work-life balance. But over time, they may leave for another company that offers the same benefits—and a stronger sense of purpose. On the other hand, when people believe in their organization, they’re more likely to stay.
4. It Enables You to Leverage Talent with Non-Linear Career Paths
Traditional recruitment strategies are often biased toward professionals who have had a steady career. This causes you to miss out on workers who have amazing skills and work ethic but have taken unconventional career paths. A few examples include:
- A military veteran transitioning to civilian work
- A self-taught programmer
- People with disabilities who may face barriers to securing jobs due to employer bias
- Professionals returning to the workforce after developing a disability
In many cases, these overlooked professionals are the ones who contribute significantly to an organization’s vision. And it can take a values-based recruiting process to find them.
5. It Helps You Build More Inclusive and Productive Teams
Values-based recruitment allows you to welcome a more diverse set of employees—especially underrepresented groups like people with disabilities or people with neurodivergence.
Strict recruitment criteria like school type or job history can limit your options. But moving beyond these traditional standards helps create more inclusive teams. And that has real business impact. In fact, a McKinsey & Company study found that companies with a more diverse workforce are up to 39% more likely to perform better financially than those who don’t. ²
6. It Helps Strengthen Your Employer Brand
When your recruitment efforts are based on values, people notice—and they’re more likely to share about your hiring process on social media and employer reviews. It’s like having a powerful recruitment marketing or employee referral program for free.
This helps build a strong employer branding that attracts more talent. So, instead of chasing the “perfect hire,” you’re pulling in candidates who are already aligned, even those who are passively scrolling through social media.
Values-based hiring is just one piece of building strong teams. For more ideas on how to find great talent in the first place, check out 7 Proven Candidate Sourcing Strategies for Employers.
With Galt, you can hire for values by hiring people with disabilities
Candidates with disabilities often bring unmatched resilience, adaptability, and dedication—qualities that don’t always show up on a resume but make a major impact on your team.
Galt is a leading staffing firm that specializes in connecting mission-driven employers to skilled people with disabilities. Contact us today to start a conversation about how we can help you build a strong and reliable workforce.
References:
1. 2025 Retention Report: Employee Retention Truths in Today’s Workplace. Work Institute, 2025, https://info.workinstitute.com/hubfs/2025%20Retention%20Report/2025%20Retention%20Report%20-%20Employee%20Retention%20Truths%20in%20Todays%20Workplace.pdf
2. Hunt, Dame Vivian, et al. “Diversity Matters Even More: The Case for Holistic Impact.” McKinsey & Company, 5 Dec. 2023, www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/diversity-matters-even-more-the-case-for-holistic-impact.
