Posted in Human Resources

Why Retention Starts Before the First Interview and How to Get It Right

Evolving employee needs and business demands require more than competitive income, benefits, and perks. Increasing turnover costs and competition for top talent mean retention must begin before the first interview.

Candidates who visit a company’s website or learn about a job opening begin forming opinions about the organization. Additional interactions impact the candidate’s opinion about the business.

A positive candidate experience shows the company values its workforce. Insight into the culture affects a candidate’s decision to apply for a role, interview and accept a potential job offer.

Positioning your company for success before the interview process increases the likelihood of attracting and retaining top talent. The following strategies can help.

Consider Your Employer Brand

Your company’s reputation as an employer impacts the candidates who want to work for your organization. Focus on these metrics to evaluate your employer brand:

Social engagement. Track the number of followers, impressions, likes, and shares. Increasing engagement rates and the number of followers month-over-month shows an attractive employer brand. These metrics demonstrate more people are hearing about and staying interested in your company.
Quality of hire. Evaluate how well applicants fit your company’s mission, vision, and values for ongoing business growth. How long the average hire remains productive affects how well the company is represented and the reality of working for the organization.
Employee referrals. Employees who are excited about your company’s mission and work environment encourage their connections to join the organization. These referrals reflect the health of your employer brand and business. Building your company’s reputation encourages high-quality applicants.
New-hire income. A company with an attractive employer brand can get top talent to work for less income than a company with a poor reputation. Comparing your average new-hire income to the industry median for a role provides a sense of how competitive your employer brand is.
Cost-per-hire. A low or reduced cost-per-hire indicates candidates respond to your employer brand. Faster response to your brand lowers sourcing costs. Quick movement through the hiring process reduces hiring and retention expenses.

Evaluate the Hiring Tools and Technologies

Current tools and technologies support hiring efficiency and effectiveness for strong retention. Focus on the following areas:

Is your company’s website easy to navigate?
Does the Careers page offer an easy application process with the ability to upload resumes?
Is an applicant tracking system (ATS) sorting resumes and managing candidate databases?
Do candidates receive automatic feedback?
Is the hiring team engaging with shortlisted candidates?

Update the Job Postings

Ensure the job postings include accurate job descriptions and information about company culture:

The title, duties, responsibilities, and qualifications should match the income range.
Include the minimum education, skills, and experience to encourage more applicants.
Emphasize that candidates with relevant soft skills can be trained to develop relevant hard skills.
Focus on company values to attract applicants with similar values who should remain long-term.
Use inclusive language to encourage women, people of color, veterans, people with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups to apply.

Get Help Strengthening Employee Retention

Partner with PrideStaff to hire employees who stay with your company long-term. Contact your local PrideStaff office today to get started.

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