Gorilla Glue: Recruiting Strategies That Help Clients Retain New Employees

Gorilla Glue’s motto is, “Get the job done right the first time.” Apparently most companies aren’t following Gorilla Glue’s mantra when it comes to hiring — according to a recent article on Inc.com, 40 percent of employees who quit their jobs in 2013 left within six months of starting. This presents an opportunity for recruiting firms, who can help clients utilize recruiting strategies to find, place, and retain employees who will stick Gorilla Glue strong.

Recruiters have unique skills, including honing in on a job order’s specifics, discussing onboarding procedures, tracking results with recruiting software — actions that help determine what candidate will be “just right” and stay long term.

Recruiting Strategy #1: Gain Clarity on the New Position.

You’re an expert at delving into what a job will really, truly be like and what it can offer your candidates’ long-term careers. Help candidates clarify if this will be an excellent fit or a “pass” by sharing your expertise on the following:

  • Daily Job Requirements. Before interviews begin, recruiters should know exactly what the job will entail. You don’t want your candidate to begin a job and then discover it is not what they expected. Clients may be tempted to highlight only the best components of the job — but that doesn’t set realistic expectations. Daily job requirements, including the mundane and challenging, should be outlined for candidates.
  • Salary and Benefits. You don’t want to put time and energy into a candidate who goes through the process and then turns down the job due to a lower salary offer than expected. From pay to healthcare benefits, vacation days to tuition assistance, your recruiters should know exactly what the candidate will be getting if they’ll eventually be a permanent hire.

Contract employees or statement of work (SOW) candidates should be clear on how long the contract will last, deadlines, if there will be opportunities for additional work and other factors specific to contingent work.

  • Current Stars. In an article on Inc.com, Sue Marks, CEO of Pinstripe and Ochre House, says that as part of her recruiting strategy she asks clients, “Who are your star employees, and what is it about them that make them such great employees at your company?” If your recruiting team can learn from clients about what makes future stars, it’s a win for everyone, and they can offer candidates who match that profile.

Recruiting Strategy #2: Encourage Insight During Interviews. Recruiters should encourage candidates to actively ask questions and get a strong feel for the company and the position. The last thing you want is for your candidate to leave questions unasked, only to discover later that there are frequent weekends on call for IT, expectations of working late nights or a micromanaging supervisor, and then quit. For their part, clients should hone in on not just what the candidate can do now, but in the future as they grow in their role.

  • Company Culture. Suzanne Lucas, the self-proclaimed “Evil HR lady” who’s an expert on recruiting strategies, hiring employees and workplace issues, recommends asking certain questions to determine what the company culture is and what candidates may be the best fit. For permanent employees, determine the average employee tenure, frequency of promotions, how employee performance is measured and why the position is open.
  • Pace of Environment. Recruiters should provide insight into whether the job is fast-paced, slow, or a “feast or famine” workflow. Candidates should ask about the job pacing during interviews, because some individuals thrive in a fast-paced environment while others would find that extremely stressful.

A recent study found that professionals who have more experience are less concerned about salary and more focused on living a good lifestyle, which includes work-life balance. Recruiters should make sure that top candidates have absolute clarity on the intensity and pacing.

  • Opportunity for Growth. Both the client and candidate should be considering not just the job description but where and how the new worker can grow. Is the candidate happy with the track the job is expected to take? Does the client have clarity on how a new employee could advance?
  • Ability Trumps Resume. One tactic that Lucas recommends for clients is having candidates do a project rather than just answer questions. “[G]ive candidates a real task to complete or ask them to prepare a presentation,” she writes in her post titled 3 Simple Ways to Hire Better. “Throw them problems and see how they solve them. It will give you a better idea of what they really will bring to your organization.”

Recruiting Strategy #3: Follow Up After Placements. As part of your firm’s long-term recruiting strategies, recruiters should follow up with candidates after they’re placed in order to analyze the quality of the placement, hear about onboarding processes and share feedback with clients.

  • Onboarding Process. According to another article on Inc.com, studies found that onboarding directly has a positive effect on employee productivity, retention and engagement during their first few months at work. Placed candidates can give recruiters feedback about strengths or areas for improvement in a client’s onboarding process that can be passed back to the client.
  • Candidate and Client Feedback. How recruiters’ placements feel about the process is critical for improving the performance of your agency. How clients feel about their new employees is of utmost value as well. Recruitment management software can help your team track employee evaluations, dependability, attendance and work quality. That way you’ll know what works and doesn’t and can make future changes as necessary, or know that you’re on the right track to finding your clients employees who stick.

Lucas says that “length of service” data can help both recruiting companies and candidates have insight about a company. “If people are booking it out the door in six months … it’s because … management stinks,” she writes. High turnover is a definite red flag.

Your recruiting team can use your tried-and-true recruiting strategies to help clients find employees who stay long term. From gaining clarity on the position to encouraging insightful questions during interviews, your team can be of true value to clients. Like Gorilla Glue, you can help your clients find candidates who stick — the first time.

Discover more recruiting strategies that your firm should know about regarding the re-recruiting trend in our whitepaper, “How Staffing Professionals Can Counter Companies That Re-Recruit.”

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