Links Between Recruiting and Retention

If you are having issues of retention, you may also have issues with your recruiting and hiring practices. Of course the issue of turnover is a very nuanced topic that could stem from a variety of issues. But, the purpose of this article is to address how recruiting practices can impact your retention rates.

1. Expectations Are Key

The expectations of the company and the potential employee begin to be set during the recruiting phase. As is obvious, unmet expectations can be a real morale killer in a new employee. Early disengagement can be hard to recover from.

When you are in the recruiting process, it's important that you set the right expectations for incoming employees. It's also important that you take measures to fully understand their expectations and address any that will not align to the employment experience you are offering.

One of the biggest mistakes an employer can make is to over-promise to a potential employee. Don’t make promises or set expectations that cannot be met. That can be a sure fire way to prompt a new employee to begin seeking other opportunities.

Key areas of expectation include things like: work hours, travel time, work/life balance, salary, advancement opportunity, etc.

2. Align Company Needs with Employee Aspirations

In some ways this goes hand in hand with setting the right expectations, but it’s a little deeper than that. You want to make sure that the candidate has the right skills to do the job, and you also want to make sure that their aspirations are in line with what you are needing.

Example: You are looking for someone to come in and perform in a technical capacity without decision-making and people leadership responsibilities. There is no foreseeable advancement opportunity within the next 2-3 years.

You have a candidate with great technical expertise that is getting burned out in their current role. During the course of your interview, you ask them about their aspirations. They tell you they are looking for the opportunity to move into a leadership role in a relatively short amount of time.

It would be very important for you to probe into that further and ensure you understand fully what they are expecting. If you cannot meet those expectations, it would be important to hash that out with the candidate on the front end. You may ultimately determine that it is not going to be a good long-term fit.

3. Look Beyond Technical Experience

Companies can sometimes make the mistake of focusing too much on the specific experience they are looking for without looking at the broader spectrum of attributes that make a candidate a good fit for the role and the company.

Only you know your company. You should know the people and the skills that it takes to be successful on your team.

If you work in an extremely collaborative environment, you likely require someone who knows how to effectively communicate in a collaborative way with all-levels of employees. If you bring in someone who is a hard-charging, independent, individual contributor, it will be important to probe the candidate about how they can demonstrate their ability to work in a team environment. Just because they have been more individually focused in their past role does not mean that they won’t be able to be successful. However, you will want to make sure that you can get comfortable with their ability to operate well in your environment.

You don’t want them to come into a role they will struggle in. It will not likely work out well for them, or the company.

Conclusion

Obviously, the entire correlation between recruiting and retention cannot be summed up in a short article. But, this article should provide some practical considerations for you as you are seeking to recruit candidates that will work out in the long-term.

If you would like more information about this, or other recruiting or HR related matters, please reach out to Renewal Talent Solutions. Jim Konrath, Owner of Renewal Talent Solutions, has years of HR experience in a variety of industries. Whether you are a small business or a mid-large sized business, Renewal Talent Solutions can help you with your recruiting needs. You can visit our website at www.renewaltalent.com.