Tips on Recruiting – and Keeping – the Right Employees
If any of your employees had so much fun on their summer vacation they’ve decided to stay away permanently, you may need to brush up on your recruitment tactics. While you’re at it, think about also ramping up your retainment skills – because:
a) apparently you have (or had) at least one employee who finds it super easy to leave, and
b) keeping good employees is the number one way to avoid going through the process of looking for new ones.
Recruiting new employees is a challenge for most businesses. It’s difficult enough to find someone who has the skills and qualifications to fill the position, but to find someone whose values match yours and your company’s, has an attitude that jives with your workplace culture and possesses a personality that fits seamlessly with your team, well, practically miracle territory.
So, say your Hail Marys, then equip yourself with a few tactics that may take the headache out of finding – and keeping – the employee who’s right for your business.
Be clear about your company’s purpose.
As Simon Sinek says in his best-selling book on leadership with the same name: start with “why”. Know why your business does what it does; then clearly define and share your purpose. You will significantly up your chances of attracting employees who share your vision and are motivated to help you achieve your goals.
Ask your employees.
Who knows better about a person’s character than someone who already knows the person? A referral from an employee shouldn’t be the end-all-be-all, but it is a good way to screen candidates. Most employees won’t suggest someone who isn’t qualified or has bad personality traits – a bad hire is going to come back to bite them – so it’s a good way to bring in someone who has at least a fighting chance of fitting the bill.
Be your best on social media.
Potential employees are checking you out just as much you’re checking them out. What will reviews on Google or Yelp tell possible candidates about your company? Is your website a mess? What are your current employees saying about the business on Facebook or Twitter? Make sure you’re putting your best face forward (like you always should be anyways, of course!)
Update your practices.
Replacing an employee may be a pain, but it’s also an opportunity to break out of what may have become an old habit and try out new approaches. Many of today’s younger workers want alternatives to the old method of doing things – like nine to five workdays – so bringing in someone new is a good way to shake up the status quo. Be open and be flexible. It will very likely be worth the tradeoff.
You do you.
If you were on a dating website, using a photo of Jennifer Lawrence as your profile picture when you actually resemble Dame Judy Dench is going to grab the attention of your date when you meet for the first time. And probably not in a good way. Certainly, both women definitely have strong assets, but it’s a safe bet each appeals to very different crowds.
Likewise with many businesses. Be upfront about your business, what it is, where you’re going and who you’re looking for. Also, be clear about your culture. Recruiting hipster slackers to a culture that favours strict office hours and button-down suits is not going to end well for anyone. Worse – it will only be a matter of time before you have to start the recruitment process all over again!
Good luck!
Resources
www.businessnewsdaily.com/9692-recruiting-strategies.html