You’ve gathered your leadership team, asked the hard questions, and clarified the purpose that drives your company forward. You’ve defined your “Why.” It’s probably bold, inspiring—and framed somewhere in the office. Now what?
Here at The Metiss Group, we’re big fans of Simon Sinek’s Start With Why and have helped hundreds of clients make hires who are in line with their “why” through our service, The Hiring Process Coach™.
Let’s rewind and take a closer look at where all this “Why” business really began.
Simon Sinek and the Golden Circle
Simon Sinek’s Start With Why didn’t just sell books—it sparked a movement. In it, Sinek introduces the Golden Circle framework: Why, How, and What. Most companies explain what they do, then describe how they do it. But standout companies? They begin with why they exist in the first place.
Your “Why,” Sinek argues, is your core purpose. It’s not a revenue goal or a marketing angle—it’s the belief system behind your business. He points to companies like Apple, Southwest Airlines, and even the Wright brothers to show how a strong “Why” draws people in. It becomes a magnet for customers and talent alike.
Because people don’t buy what you do — they buy why you do it.
And he’s not wrong. Once you get clear on your “Why,” everything changes. But many people don’t make any changes to their hiring process, and that’s where things can get messy.
Hiring for Your “Why” Requires More Than a Gut Feeling
Clarifying your company’s purpose is a powerful first step; it sets the direction. But if your team isn’t aligned with that purpose, it’s like shouting into the wind. It doesn’t matter how passionate your vision is if the people beside you don’t share it.
Hiring people who believe what you believe isn’t just about finding someone you’d grab a beer with. It’s about identifying candidates who internalize your purpose — and are motivated by the same mission.
However, most hiring processes aren’t built to catch that. They’re structured to screen for technical skills, checkboxes on résumés, or maybe personality traits. Rarely do they dig deep enough to assess whether someone actually aligns with your values. At best, these organizations will describe their core values and ask the candidate if they can support them — of course the candidate nods yes!
This is a huge miss. Hiring the wrong cultural fit can quietly derail productivity, morale, and even customer experience.
It’s like gathering the finest ingredients for a cake — organic eggs, real butter, top-shelf vanilla — and forgetting to preheat the oven. You technically have all the right components, but the end result? Completely undercooked.
A Hiring Process That Reflects Your “Why”
If you want your “Why” to drive your business forward, it needs to be baked into your hiring process. That doesn’t just mean referencing it in the job description; it means allowing it to shape every stage, from the way you describe the role to the final handshake.
Start by defining exactly who you’re looking for. Not just the tasks they’ll do or their previous job titles, but the mindset they bring. You need an ideal candidate profile: this is a clear picture of what beliefs, motivations, and behavioral traits align with your company’s purpose. If your company were a sports team, this is the playbook for the kind of teammate you want on the field.
Then take a serious look at your core values. These shouldn’t be generic buzzwords pasted on your careers page. They should serve as filters, real behavioral standards you expect your team to live out. These values should help you sort the clear fits from the near misses. Sometimes, someone can look great on paper but still not be right for your culture.
Once you’ve defined your values and ideal traits, integrate them into your hiring steps. That includes how you write your job postings (ditch the clichés), how you screen résumés, how you design your phone screens, and how you structure your interviews. Every part of the process should be calibrated to filter not only for competence, but for alignment with your mission.
If you’re not actively weeding out candidates who don’t fit your “Why,” then your hiring process is just window dressing. You’re not building a mission-driven team. You’re just filling seats.
From “Why” to Reality: Where The Metiss Group Comes In
Translating your purpose into a structured hiring process takes effort. And let’s be honest, it’s not always at the top of a leader’s to-do list. That’s where we come in.
At The Metiss Group, we created The Hiring Process Coach™ to help companies like yours turn their “Why” into action. We guide leaders through defining core values that mean something, building ideal candidate profiles that actually help, and structuring interviews that don’t waste anyone’s time.
We don’t just help you hire. We help you hire on purpose.
Ready to take the next step? Check out our Hiring Process Checklist to start building a hiring experience that consistently attracts and selects people who believe what you believe.
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