5 Ways to Design a Recruitment and Retention Strategy That Works

Jan 16, 2017Recruitment & Selection

Rule #1 of Building a Recruitment and Retention Strategy: Get the Right People in the Right Seats

 

Imagine recruitment was a quick and easy process, where you have the best recruitment and retention strategy in the world.

Imagine that the perfect people were magically attracted to your recruitment company and the work you had to do to get them was minimal.

Picture it now.

You have a role to fill and you have in mind the ideal match for the job. You know exactly what the person looks like. You know their qualifications, their motivators and their teamwork skills. Two weeks later and that person is now sitting at their new desk, beavering away.

They are happy and productive. Engaged, I hear you ask? Absolutely.

While recruitment isn’t always so effortless, I believe that an effective recruitment and retention strategy can make all the difference. The key is this: there has to be NO MORE GUESSING.

Just because someone looks like a person you’d get on well with or seems to have the right personality for the job doesn’t mean they actually do. Rely on reliability. Rely on science and on research.

There is a lot to be said for spending time on recruitment and getting your recruitment and retention strategy right.

You can have an incredible strategy, more than sufficient cash and flawless execution, but without the right people on board, all the right steps are meaningless and won’t lead to long term success.

As management author Jim Collins believes, “ Leaders of companies that go from good to great start not with ‘where’ but with ‘who’.

They start by getting the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people in the right seats”.

recruitment and retention strategy

The Survival Curve

 

Daryl Quinn writes about the Hill and Trist (1955) “survival curve” model, which states that people are far more likely to quit their job in the first six weeks than they are if they survive this period. There are three phases in the curve.

 

Phase one is the “induction crisis” phase

 

This is the making or breaking point. Turnover is high due to issues such as different expectations, problems with adaptation and alternative job offers.

 

Phase two is the “differential transit” phase

 

At this point the new employee is settled in their role and feel that they are part of the culture and community. The chances are slim that this person would suddenly choose to leave the organisation.

 

Phase three is the “settled connection” phase

 

At this point the person has been in the job so long it seems to make more sense for them to stay rather than leave. They are almost a part of the furniture.

How can your recruitment company get the right people to phase three of the survival curve?

Very often, not enough time or consideration is put into hiring the right people. The key is to spend time investing in the right people, and spending the time necessary to invest in them. Can you really afford not to? Be sure to develop your recruitment and retention strategy with the survival curve in mind.

recruitment and retention strategy

5 Top Tips for a World Class Recruitment and Retention Strategy

 

Building a good recruitment and retention strategy is a critical issue for a recruiter. Organisations are looking for people who are engaged and who are a good fit into the culture and into the job.

When individuals are onboarded properly to companies, they are a valuable asset.

They are productive, they do good work and they’re engaged.

They understand clearly what is expected of them in their role and their behaviours, motivators, driving forces, acumen and competencies are ideal for the job.

 

#1: Make Retention a Priority

 

Retention is critical. As Workology points out, a recruitment company’s most important asset is their talent pipeline. Retention must be considered right from when a candidate first engages with a recruiter or starts considering working for an organisation.

 

#2: Recruit, Recruit, Recruit (Intelligently)

 

Keep a database of top talent for different roles. Be always on the lookout for great people, especially when things are quiet. Try to avoid making rushed decisions when trying to fill positions, as this can lead to hiring mistakes.

 

#3: Focus on Job Fit

 

When the job fit is right, employee engagement comes naturally. Don’t push candidates into roles that you know aren’t right for them. Consider what the job would say if it could talk. What exactly does the job need? When the fit is good, the employee feels comfortable in the job and it brings the ideal level of challenge for the person’s abilities.

 

#4: Use Psychometric Tests

 

TTI psychometrics are unique in that they offer an in-depth understanding of an individual in terms of their behaviours (using the DISC personality test), motivators, acumen, competencies and driving forces. This can really help you, as a recruiter, to make the right talent decisions.

 

#5: Benchmark

 

The value of benchmarking can’t be overlooked. By measuring a range of elements of a personality and benchmarking candidates against the role, TTI provides the best chance of getting the right person for the job. For more information on how to conduct a job benchmark, click here.

 

Final thoughts…

 

Ask any recruitment consultant what their biggest challenge is and they will probably tell you that it is their recruitment and retention strategy.

Getting the right people in the right seats and getting people to the “settled connection” phase of the survival curve is the aim, but without the right tools it can be very difficult.

If this is a problem for your recruitment company, don’t fret. You’re not alone.

By measuring a person’s behaviours, motivators, driving forces, acumen and competencies, TTI psychometric assessments can make the process much easier. We can greatly enhance your retention rates and your chances of finding the right people for the right jobs.

Try implementing the above tips to develop a world-class recruitment and retention strategy.

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