The benefits of having a great company mission statement

Having a clear set of values for your business is beneficial for a number of reasons. Often SME businesses in particular can struggle to attract top talent when in competition with large blue-chip organisations. However, with a strong and true company mission statement, it can promote a business in such a way that may resonate with a professional’s personal values and therefore draw top talent away from the competition, no matter the business size.

What is a company mission statement?

A company mission statement is a short summary of the goals and purpose of a business. It is a sure fire way to put your business’ vision out there for the world to see, which will potentially attract new top talent from your competitors or persuade new talent on the market, such as university students, to work for your business. The best companies have a solid mission statement attached to their brand, this will give you the opportunity to outline your business values and how your company runs.

How to write a company mission statement

Always write your company mission statement in your own tone of voice. If you haven’t yet adopted a tone of voice or written a tone of voice document for your business, then you should do so before writing your company mission statement. The reason for this is that without one, your business and employees have no clear guide to follow, so it is likely that everyone will adopt a different tone of voice and therefore your brand won’t be recognised by your customers or potential new hires. 

Here are some tips on how to write a company mission statement.

• Take your time. This is one thing that shouldn’t be rushed, as it is so important for your business and your brand.
• Have a champion to run the project, senior management or above, work together with the CEO to decide what should be included in the mission statement, this will ensure that you are getting across the group message from the head of the business.
• Include the basics of what your company offers and why.
• Include the business’s core values.

Make sure you are clear before, during, and after writing the company mission statement that you are portraying your company as it is and in the right way. This can attract candidates as they may believe they fit with your cultural values and furthermore, will be well suited to working for your business. Here are some examples of great mission statements from businesses founded in the UK:

“Our mission is to become the world’s number-one destination for fashion-loving 20-somethings.’ – ASOS

“With our partners we reach millions through creative communication and trusted media, helping people have their say, understand their rights, responsibilities and each other, and take action to transform their own lives.” – BBC

“At Ford, we go further to make our cars better, our employees happier and our planet a better place to be.” – Ford

Company mission statements and recruitment

It is important to treat your company mission statement as a direct advertisement of your business. It should be explanatory, enticing and appealing to your audience. Not only do they outline to the world what your company does and stands for, but they are also great tools for recruitment and to attract the right type of candidates to your business. 

Ensuring that anyone who comes across your website or brand recognises it, is key to spreading the word about your organisation and potentially encouraging people to work for you as well. These days, it is very important for hiring managers to ensure that the candidate they are interviewing is a good fit for the company. If you hire a candidate who isn’t suited to your working environment, they may not last very long in the business, which will mean that you end up spending more time recruiting for the role. 

Your company mission statement is a great way to showcase your business as it stands now and how you want it to look moving forward. There is no one-size-fits-all solution or guide to writing a company mission statement, you should consider your business, sector and current teams to plan out how you want your company mission statement to look and feel.

If you are looking to recruit for your business, please get in touch with one of our specialist recruitment consultants today, who can help you with this and discuss all of your recruitment needs.