As we began discussing their recruitment strategy, this employee retention expert noticed that, quite frankly, they were doing a lousy job of selling the job opportunities they had available. This organization has an incredible environment. They give their employees C.R.A.P. (Caring, Respect, Appreciation, and Praise) Note: I trained them! They have a plant that is meticulous. They are family-held and never lay people off and, lastly, they have a great team environment. The problem was they weren’t getting into the specifics when they were advertising, discussing the opportunity with prospective employees, and not reinforcing that when they were onboarding people.
I got the impression they didn’t want to sound like braggers. As I told them…if it’s the truth…talk about it. The traits above were major strengths of the organization and they weren’t selling any of them. I always advocate being candid with candidates. Why…because candor sells. Tell candidates both the good and the bad. That candor is huge from not only a recruiting standpoint but from an employee retention strategies perspective. You want a candidate coming in who is excited about the positive aspects but is prepared for the challenges as well. There is a very important reason for that.
When a new employee comes on board and starts meeting their co-workers, it seems that the current employees that get close to the newbie are the complainers, whiners, and generally negative people. They then poison the newbie on the environment. By portraying things accurately and positively you are inoculating the newbie to some extent in order that all your hard work doesn’t go down the drain. Selling your organization not only helps you land prospective candidates but also helps to reduce employee turnover.
If you are not selling your organization to a prospective candidate, you are making a huge tactical error. This error can be costing your organization thousands upon thousands of dollars. Stop hesitating and get out there and sell your organization!
Are you struggling with employee retention? If so, send an email to jeff@jeffkortes.com with the title, “I’m desperate” in the title line and I will reach out to you and show you how to significantly reduce your employee turnover.”
