Core values - they are the backbone of an organization’s identity, representing its philosophy and beliefs. Core values help shape a company’s culture and emphasize where it wants to go. In fact, 60% of organizations with an employee recognition program link their program to organizational core values, according to a recent report from the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM) and Globoforce.

##**Recognize These?**##

Some common core values may include the following:

**Courage**

**Accountability**

**Collaboration**

**Compassion**

**Diversity**

**Balance**

**Integrity**

**Commitment**

**Community**

**Innovation**

**Ownership**

**Character**

##**Increasing Importance**##

Many of these values will be instantly familiar to veterans as a daily part of their military service, giving veteran job seekers plenty of stories to share. That’s a good thing, since core values are increasingly becoming part of the recruiting process. Employers look closely at how potential hires handled various situations to assess whether they will gel with the organization’s culture and values.
Veteran job candidates should be prepared for interview questions such as these:

*“Tell me about a time when you had to be really flexible/deliver superior customer service/handle an unexpected problem or situation."*

*"Was there a time when you built rapport quickly with someone in a stressful situation? How did you do it?”*

##**To Do List**##

Veteran job seekers should do their homework before heading into an interview. First, research the company and learn about its core values and overall mission statement? These are strong indicators of what will be important if they go to work there. Next, reflect on and make a list of your own core values and what drives and motivates you. Do any of these values align with those of the organization? Finally, list examples of how you have exemplified each of the company’s core values. Practice talking about each situation so you’ll be ready if you are asked about them.

Karis Spense is Vice President and Senior Talent Acquisition Consultant at Huntington Bank, where core values play an important part. So does hiring veterans. “I find that veterans excel in continuous improvement, which involves the development of new systems that improve one or more processes. Each one of our lines of business (retail, commercial operations, and business banking) has an element of continuous improvement which is aligned with our core values. Those values are: passion, accountability, teamwork, service, communication, continuous improvement, and inclusion. That is our foundation and who we are as a company,” she said. “We want to make sure that everyone we hire has the desire to follow our core values. No matter if you are in human resources (HR) or in data analytics, we are all measured on the same values.”

The ability to speak to an organization’s core values and illustrate how you have exemplified them will resonate with employers, making you a memorable and sought-after candidate in your civilian job search.