One day, I was sitting at my desk thinking about employee turnover. Imagine an ideal world, wherein you recruit new people and they stay forever. Is this like a Leader’s heaven? Zero recruitment costs, no onboarding processes, employees knowing the business in and out, high engagement, no exit processes and no leaving parties…
Suddenly, a thought came to my mind. Well, what is the current reality? Let’s check it out.
“Hey Google, what is the turnover for new hires?” I asked.
“20% of new hires quit during their first 45 days.” Google replied.
Uhmm..??
Personally, I believe that talent acquisition is the most neglected process in business these days. Driven by cost effectiveness remote talent acquisitions teams use LinkedIn to identify some talent. Processes are defragmented and there is no clear ownership and accountability.Line managers keep it down on their priority list, yet many still see it as a typical ‘tick the box’ exercise they’re required to do. It’s crucial that you fill the vacancy with somebody who is capable of doing the job, yet some managers fail to do so. As a result, 20% of new hires quit during their first 45 days of employment. Common reasons are that they’re not happy with their manager, the business’ culture or their responsibilities. If you, as a leader, compromise the recruitment process, or simply do not invest enough thinking power, time or effort – then you will be dealing with even bigger problems later.
Leaders need to recruit for potential! Find somebody who will be able to learn new skills and capabilities in the future, somebody who will grow within your company. Recruit those who are an asset, rather than those who may be a liability. Look for somebody who may succeed you in the future.
Using your LOGIC and HEART will help you recruit for potential.
LOGIC
- Understand your business needs – You need to know exactly what it is that you need. Take a blank piece of paper and spend some time thinking about it. Is your team overloaded or are there some competencies missing? What would be the key responsibilities of the new hire? How would the business benefit from having a new member or new competencies in the team?
- Key Competencies – what are the key competencies you are looking for? Are there any that are ‘must-haves’? What about a ‘nice to have’? This approach will help you later during the selection process if you need to compromise on some competencies.
- Competency-based interview – come up with two or three questions exploring the required competencies at the interview. Don’t ask about potential scenarios or hypothetical situations. Ask the candidate to describe specific situations or behaviours wherein he/she exhibited the competencies. How has he/she reacted? What actions did they take? And what was the result of their actions?
- Interview panel – don’t interview by yourself only. Ask others to participate in the interview panel and invite those who will be working together with the potential hire in the future. Maybe, there is somebody that you trust on the panel who has a great judgement of character.
- Be prepared – I have seen some managers reading CVs at the beginning of an interview. Sometimes, the interview starts with the golden question – “Can you please take me through your CV quickly?”. To me, this is a clear signal that the manager did not bother to even read the CV. If you want to be an Inspired Leader, DO NOT do this. Be professional from A to Z. Discuss the long list of potential hires with you HR or talent acquisition person, meet 8-10 preselected candidates and then choose 2-3 candidates for a final run of interviews.
HEART
- Fit to the culture – people are interested in working for companies wherein they can be themselves and where their work-life balanced is not a slogan on a wall but a reality. Reflect on the culture within your business and then be ready to describe it to candidates during the interviews. Listen carefully to what they say, what kinds of questions they might have and what it is that they’re looking for. Based on your observations, feelings, the candidates’ questions and feedback – make the right call.
- Fit to the team – most people are working in project teams. Today, the traditional business hierarchy is playing a lesser critical role than before. Ask one of two people from your current team to interview the top two or three candidates. Let them check how well they would fit the team, how they communicate and their ability to work with others.
- Diversity – Don’t recruit a ‘Mini-me’ or someone who reminds you of someone you know. Understand the person you are meeting with as an individual and check if this is what you’re looking for. Diversity will help you create an inclusive work environment. Different education, experience, personalities and/or backgrounds will have a massive influence on the quality of business meetings and decisions.
- Intuition – trust your gut and listen to your subconscious mind. They will help you select the right person. However, you first need to be 100% sure of what it is that you’re looking for.
Once you select a person it does not mean your job ends there. You need to take the next step… onboarding.
And finally, keep in mind that the best people are not active on job market. Hiring managers and talent acquisition need to sweat a bit to identify them.
Drawing by boradoodles.pl
Every Day Development 
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