Recruiting new employees for your organisation? This can be an exciting and nerve-wracking process – just making sure you get the ‘right fit’ candidate for the job can be a tall order. And, once you have that person, you need to be fairly certain that they will stay long enough to add value.
That’s why, while it might seem strange, it’s important to care about retention as early as the recruitment stage – you want employees who want to be at work on a daily basis and will stay with your organisation for a suitable length of time. A rapid staff turnover affects productivity and employee morale so ideally you should find and recruit individuals who are in it for the long haul and will commit to moving your organisation forward.
Here are three important ways to include a retention strategy in your recruitment process:
- Be upfront about who you are. Too often, organisations want to come across as trendy or cutting edge when they’re actually quite traditional or more conservative than their counterparts. When you’re interviewing, remember that while you might want to impress your candidate (especially if they have all the skills you’re looking for), they need to know what working with your organisation is really like – culture match is a vital part of employee retention. That way, you both know what to expect from the working environment from day one.
- Share your expectations of the job. Many candidates think they know what the job requires and then they’re disappointed when there is an unexpected administrative portion or lots of telephone time as opposed to face-to-face interactions. A clear job description (as well as talking through the daily practicalities of the role) will ensure that the candidate understands the role beyond the title. Also take the time to discuss the candidate’s expectations – do they require a flexible work schedule? Do they expect rewards for a job well done? Sharing expectations will help you identify the best candidate for the job and avoid disappointment (on both fronts) in the long run.
- Engage the individual. Employee retention is an important part of business success and it’s largely about employee engagement – making people feel like they are an important part of the organisation, that their contribution matters, and that their career development (as part of a team and as an individual) is a priority. If this is true of your organisation, it is well worth bringing it into the recruitment process. Let candidates know that their engagement is important to you and encourage them to feel enthusiastic about an organisation that will feel the same way about them, right from the start.
The recruitment process can be a difficult one if you’re doing it all yourself – it takes skill, experience, and asking all the right questions to make sure you hire the right person for the job. And you’re meant to achieve this in one or two short recruitment interviews! It can also be a costly and time-consuming exercise to replace employees that have just joined your organisation. Recruit pro-actively and with the right strategy and you will lower these risks.
Do you need help finding the perfect candidate for the job? Let us help you! As expert recruiters, we have the skills to find and recruit the perfect person for the job – someone who will help your business grow and succeed.
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