Retaining the best employees can be a challenge for today’s business owners. According to the Harvard Business Review, 80% of employee turnover is due to bad hiring decisions. This means that the retention problem starts at the very beginning of the hiring process. Who you hire makes a difference … sometimes the difference of needing to fill the same position a year later. Luckily, there are steps that your business can take to start making the right hiring decisions and boost employee retention:
Identify your Non-Negotiables
Before scouring the job boards for potential hires, you need to decide what you actually want in an employee. You can do this by looking at your company’s pillars, mission, and work culture. Identify soft skills like communication, integrity, and cultural fit that are non-negotiable traits that will directly impact success in the position. With these non-negotiables in mind, you can utilize pre-screen questions, assessments, and targeted interview guides to help you identify these traits in candidates.
Read Between the Lines
Having a large quantity of applicants means there are a lot of resumes to review. Taking a quick glance can help you weed out less qualified applicants or those who don’t meet your non-negotiables; however, a 10-second review might mean overlooking some potential. While resumes can reveal telling things about a candidate based on employment gaps, job hopping, or other red flags, they can also give you some clues into soft skills they’ve developed that would be well-suited to your opportunity. Some of the best candidates come from unconventional backgrounds, especially when they’re looking to launch their career in your field.
Use Your Hiring Process
It’s very exciting when you feel like you’ve found a golden candidate and want to hire them on the spot. Don’t jump the gun! The most important thing when trying to select the best hire is sticking to your hiring process and following through with each step. I repeat, stick to the full hiring process! Following a step-by-step process will ensure that you are making the right hiring decision and help you make consistent hiring decisions in the future. Whether you find it tedious or not, a consistent hiring process can make the difference between a good and great hire. Utilize hiring steps like phones screens, any non-negotiable testing in assessments or scorecards, and reference checks.
If you stick to your non-negotiables, read between the lines to identify potential, and stick to your hiring process you’ll be well on the way to making a great hire!
For more hiring tips follow us on Twitter @CareerPlug
Justin Zungia is CareerPlug’s Sales & Marketing Intern
