As a recruiter or employer, you want to hire the right person the first time. The reality is, you will never achieve this goal with each individual you hire.

That doesn’t mean you can’t be proactive and intentional in your strategies to increase your level of success in attracting, hiring and retaining talent. Employees will come and go, despite your best efforts. Once you accept that fact, you can move on and do the best you can.

Job satisfaction research shows that close to 80% of people dislike what they do for a living, from a feeling of mild irritation to absolutely loathing their work. In fact, Gallup research reported that 87% of employees (globally) are disengaged at work.

Not great numbers for retaining your employees.

• According to a North America Human Resource Management Association study, 82% of managers and 78% of employees are currently looking for another job opportunity.
• A UK study discovered that 33% of new employees are looking for a job the very day they start a new position. That certainly does not bode well for career and HR development practices.

So, how do you attract, hire and retain good people?

First: Set a goal to be an employer of choice 

• Your firm must have a solid reputation in the marketplace that it is an excellent place to work.
• The work environment and the culture your organization offers are two of the essential ingredients for creating a positive reputation that will attract employees. The most talented individuals usually have other job choices. Your work environment sets the tone for their decision to join or not.

Great marketing does not improve a poor product. You can advertise, attend job fairs and implement PR campaigns, but to attract—and keep—good people, there is no substitute for a supportive work environment.

Obviously, that can’t be accomplished overnight. It is achieved when Transforming Leadership is activated within your organization. Having competent, supportive leaders who equip others to win is a first step to attracting, hiring and retaining talent in your organization.

Second: Be clear about what you want for your company and who can help you achieve your goals. Consider the steps below:

1. You must be clear about the qualities, characteristics, values, skills and experience you desire in the people who work for your company. Document your needs and wishes for each of those areas. If your intent is not in writing, it does not exist.

2. Confirm the job style best suited to each work position. (In our experience at CRG, most organizations do not follow this step.) If the personal style of the individual does not match the job style of the position, there is little chance the person will be able to sustain an acceptable level of performance or stay engaged in the role. In fact, CRG’s experience with over one million people is that any hiring process that does not include the critical element of matching those two styles will lower the potential for success. This means you have confirmed a job fit from a personal style measurement.

3. Most successful hiring systems include assessments. They provide credibility and consistency to your process and confirm that the role fits the applicant’s purpose, gifts and talents. Contrary to what many recruiters believe, they do not actually hire anyone! The applicant is the one who chooses to engage the opportunity in front of him or her.

4. As the one doing the hiring, you can exclude an individual from your team—and your ability to say no is critical to attracting the best talent.

This also applies to the applicant. Your interview process should encourage applicants to feel equally comfortable saying yes or no to the job opportunity. Some recruiters erroneously believe they are there to close the deal—to get applicants to say yes to accepting a position. But ask yourself this:

• What if applicants say yes because they were “sold,” not because they really fit the job? That misleading approach will contribute to poor performance and increased turnover.
• What if you are interviewing individuals who do not know their purpose, values or gifts? It is your responsibility as a recruiter to assist applicants to get in touch with their purpose.

That’s where assessments come in. They provide a methodology and process to help people confirm their values and purpose.

• Use predictive tests to exclude applicants.
• Use self-discovery assessments to include and hire.

When candidates connect with the important insights they learn from their assessments, they can clearly articulate whether or not they fit a job opportunity.

That’s why CRG assessments—such as the Values Preference Indicator, Personal Style Indicator, Job Style Indicator or Manager’s Job Style Indicator, Self-Worth Inventory, Stress Indicator and Health Planner and Leadership Skills Inventory – Self—are so popular and preferred over the alternatives. These assessments help candidates answer questions about themselves and a proposed opportunity.

If you short-change your hiring process and do not use assessments, you will pay the price through higher staff turnover. The key to retaining talent is to be proactive. Know how each person is engaged and connected to his or her job roles and responsibilities.

Oddly, letting some individuals go can help you retain talent. How?

The presence of incompetent individuals can frustrate people who are doing their jobs well. Dedicated, capable individuals get upset when an organization allows incompetent workers to stay, such as a poor manager or someone who compromises the organization’s values.

People change and grow. That might require shifting or expanding job responsibilities. But some talented individuals will quit because you promoted them to a level or area that’s not a good fit. The assumption that everyone has the ambition to advance is incorrect. When people already like what they are doing, changing their job responsibilities could cause them to disengage and leave the company.

Despite your best efforts, some people will abandon your organization. Look at this as an excellent opportunity for hiring “new talent”—the chance to hire even more suitable employees for your organization.

Author Bio

Ken Keis, is a foremost global authority on behavioral assessment strategies and processes, and an expert in leadership, purpose, and wellness. He has authored over 4 million words of content, including 500 articles, 4 books, and a dozen assessments to help others realize their full potential. President and CEO of Consulting Resource Group International (CRG), Dr. Keis has worked with many high-profile companies, associations, and industry groups. In the past 30 years, Ken has conducted more than 3,000 presentations and 10,000 hours of coaching and consulting. He is a highly sought-after author, speaker, trainer, media guest and also host of The Secrets of Success Podcast with Dr. Ken Keis. His latest books, Why Aren’t You More Like Me?, Deliberate Leadership, and The Quest For Purpose! Visit www.kenkeis.com; www.crgleader.com Connect Ken Keis Follow @crgleader

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