Inspiring Customer Vision and Mission Statements That Attract New Talent

Even though some people use these terms interchangeably, vision and mission statements are not the same thing. In short, a mission statement focuses on today and what an organization does to achieve that on a daily basis. The vision statement, on the other hand, is more aspirational and is aimed at the organization’s overall goal and what it wishes to become or ultimately accomplish.

While each statement is directed toward a different purpose, both are instrumental in addressing specific company goals. Regardless of whether you are starting a new business or have an established business, your mission and vision statements can help you in defining your direction, values, and company culture.

How Do Your Mission and Vision Statements Influence Your Hiring?

Your mission and vision statements can also help attract new talent to your organization. Studies have shown that Millennials are motivated by things other than money when looking for a job.

These other motivations include flexible schedules, more opportunities to learn and grow, quality colleagues, a great management culture, advancement opportunities, etc. Then, there are other, non-job related goals that people aspire towards such as making the world a better place, environmental issues, diversity, inclusion, and so forth.

If you aim to attract new talent, keep these motivators in mind when formulating your statements, as these may be the very thing that attracts the right talent to your company in the first place. Hiring the best talent goes beyond skills and also includes cultural fit. Therefore, your company’s mission and vision statements serve as a beacon to signal candidates with similar and shared values as your company.

By hiring the right candidates, you can reduce your employee turnover rate and minimize the amount of time, energy, and resources you spend on the hiring and training process. Some candidates may, indeed, present some glowing credentials and qualifications, but if they were not able to fit in your organization and its culture, the entire effort could be in vain.

If your goals align, employees will feel like they are part of a bigger picture and can make them more motivated and likelier to stay working for your company.

How to Formulate These Statements?

For maximum impact, keep your mission and vision statements short and concise – one or two sentences long, each. Both should reflect your brand’s personality, which should come across clearly.

Before writing yours, ask yourself the following questions:

• What does my company do?

• What do I want my organization to achieve over the long and short-term?

• Who does my product or service serve?

• How does my business help my customers with their pain points?

• What kind of company culture do I hope to create?

Examples

Here are several examples of famous brands, which will help you get a clearer picture:

Company: Cisco
Mission: Shape the future of the Internet by creating unprecedented value and opportunity for our customers, employees, investors, and ecosystem partners.
Vision: Changing the way we work, live, play, and learn.

Company: Coinbase
Mission: The mission of Coinbase is to create an open financial system for the world.
Vision: Digital currency will bring about more innovation, efficiency, and equality of opportunity in the world by creating an open financial system.

Company: Facebook
Mission: To give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together.
Vision: People use Facebook to stay connected with friends and family, to discover what’s going on in the world, and to share and express what matters to them.

Company: Whole Foods
Mission: Whole Foods Market is a dynamic leader in the quality food business. We are a mission-driven company that aims to set the standards of excellence for food retailers. We are building a business in which high standards permeate all aspects of our company. Quality is a state of mind at Whole Foods Market.
Vision: Whole foods, Whole People, Whole Planet.

Conclusion

Once your statements are complete, make sure that they will be visible to customers, stakeholders, employees, and future candidates by adding them to your website and internal newsletters.

It’s also important to remember that these statements aren’t written in stone, and they should be revised, as your company evolves and matures over the years.