Aligned Values Matter
In today’s talent market, companies are discovering that decent salaries and competitive benefits are no longer enough. The real differentiator? Company values. Top candidates—especially those from younger generations—aren’t just looking for a job; they’re looking for a place where their work and company values matter.
LinkedIn asked nearly 10,000 global professionals to share their thoughts on the importance of values in today’s world. The study found that 68% of workers in Europe (including the UK, France, Germany, and Ireland) strongly desire to work for companies that align with their personal values. In the US, that number rises to 87%.
More impressive is that 59% of professionals in Europe and over 50% in the US say they won’t work for an organization that doesn’t share their personal values. Of those, 55% state that not even a pay raise would change their minds.
Values matter to job hunters! In 2022, LinkedIn responded by rolling out a new tool that allows job candidates to search for organizations that align with their personal values.
LinkedIn’s tool, called Commitments, lets organizations update their company pages with up to five of their values, which might include work-life balance, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), career growth and learning, social impact, and environmental sustainability. The tool also allows companies to showcase additional meaningful content, including reports, certifications, articles, blogs, and videos about their work culture, respect being as important as results, and more.
The companies that win in today’s talent market are the ones that live their values, not just list them.
When looking for career opportunities, users can filter their job searches by those commitments.
The problem is that simply listing those values doesn’t mean that those companies actually live those values. Candidates must dig for proof that these values drive plans, decisions, and actions—or not.
Services like Glassdoor and Fishbowl offer reliable resources where job seekers can learn from insiders about how well companies embed their stated values into day-to-day operations and hold formal leaders accountable for modeling their values and behaviors.
If your company has formalized its desired culture and is living its values, be sure to include that information in your LinkedIn company page and job listings. LinkedIn found a 154% increase in entry-level job ads that refer to company culture and values.
LinkedIn’s Commitments tool is a powerful way to showcase your company’s values, especially now that values are increasingly a dealbreaker for job seekers. Used thoughtfully, it enhances employer brand, clarifies recruitment messaging, and engages candidates seeking alignment.
But without genuine follow-through and proof, Commitments might come across as “marketing speak,” so authenticity is key. The companies that win in today’s talent market are the ones that live their values, not just list them.
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