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Jerome Ternynck, CEO of SmartRecruiters recently wrote an article on Inc.com highlighting 6 tips to find candidates who will stay for the long haul. Ternynck says too many business owners treat employee retention as something they do after they hire someone---things like annual bonuses and free lunch on Fridays. He says retention actually starts during the recruiting process because retention has a great deal to do with ensuring cultural fit from the get-go and not merely incentivizing happiness. Of all employees who left their jobs last year, 40% did so within 6 months of starting due to a bad cultural fit. Here are Ternynck's 6 tips:
Search all the places where top people are, including your colleagues' networks, career sites, recruitment firms and job boards.
2. Hire for attitude, not aptitude.
When deciding between two people, put personality first. You can train for skill - you can't train for personality.
3. Broadcast your employer brand.
Give candidates in-depth information about your employer brand and what it's like to work with you.
4. Foster high-touch relationships.
Engage with candidates through several different interactions -- in-person interviews, lunches, dinners, phone and email.
5. Let candidates know you are a candidate too.
During interviews, let candidates know that they are choosing you just as much as you are choosing them.
6. Always be closing the best candidate.
Don't dwadle when you have found the best candidate. Average time to hire is about 25 working days, according to Dice-DFH Vacancy Duration Measure. But I have found that they bestcandidate gets snatched up within two weeks.
Hiring for retention should be a part of every company's business strategy. Long-term growth hinges on having long-lasting team members, who provide far greater productivity and value than a constantly rotating workforce.