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54 SMT007 MAGAZINE I DECEMBER 2020 employees. Again, these values should capture the company culture, and employees should embody them. 4. Share Your Values With the World Once core values are defined and commu- nicated to the workforce, the final phase is to write these values down and discuss behaviors that support these values to the management team. The goal is to establish common ground with the hiring managers to assess candidates on culture fit. Align your core values with pro- spective candidates. The Importance of Branding in Recruiting Treat potential candidates as customers. Positioning your company in the marketplace to attract and acquire candidates will give you the edge in a competitive labor market. This requires a marketing and sales approach in your hiring process, which starts with under- standing your company's branding. According to one article [2] , "Your brand is the sum total of your customers' perceptions, notions, and experience. It is the face, personality, and the values espoused by your business and every- thing in between." Keep in mind that high-performing employ- ees want to develop a strong career where their contributions are recognized and where they can learn during each employment opportu- nity. Your organization's brand is important to attract and retain the right employees. Employ- ees take pride in belonging to an organization that has a purpose and a brand that they iden- tify themselves with. Some examples where companies use brand- ing to attract top talent include IBM, Square, Starbucks, and more [3] . IBM reinvented their culture to be more casual and informal. Square uses career videos to emphasize the company's mission and highlight talent. Starbucks lever- ages social media for connecting with prospec- tive candidates and recruiting. The majority of manufacturing organiza- tions may highlight the nuts and bolts of their technology and capability when attracting tal- ent. Creating a strong brand that highlights unique technologies, processes, or knowledge centers can create that branding differentiator to attract top talent. Screening Candidates for Competency and Culture Fit Once you are ready to post a job opening by promoting your values and brand, then you are ready to evaluate candidates. Many can- didates may only be interested in the job title itself and the opportunity to get higher com- pensation. However, top candidates will do their homework on your company. Part of their homework will be about understanding your company's values and how working for the organization will add value to their careers. One question that can give the recruiting manager a clue of a candidate's interest in the position is, "Why are you interested in apply- ing for the position?" A typical response will be that the opportunity is aligned with the can- didate's career aspirations and qualifications. However, there will be a few candidates who have done research on the company and will point to a specific strength or technology that the company offers that is of interest to them. The recruiting manager needs to note those intangibles during the screening process before presenting candidates to the hiring manager. It's very important that the recruiting man- ager is able to evaluate a candidate's interests and EQ to determine a fit for the company's core values and brand. The hiring manager should also evaluate the candidate's IQ, EQ, and competency adequacy for the job position. A perception map analysis can be used as an objective tool to place candidates into four cat- egories (Figure 1). 1. High-Value Candidates Candidates in this category have a good cul- ture fit and the right competency level for the desired job. These are your desired candidates. Also, these candidates are highly sought after by other companies and may have multiple job offers at the same time. 2. Medium-Value Candidates (High Risk) These candidates can be the most talented and demonstrate a high level of IQ, but their