How To Hire--And KEEP--The Best Employees

It's been said that the true strength of a company lies in its employees. As they represent your business, they carry out the vital, revenue-generating tasks that sustain your organization. So, if you're not investing in the process of finding great employees, and retaining them, you're risking a lot.

Here are a few ideas on how to attract the best prospects, and retain them once they're with you.

1. Always Recruit
You should always be looking for top talent whether you're in need or not. Develop a sense of what skills you need now and in the future, and what type of person will be a good fit. Be on the lookout for great talent even when there are no current openings, because you just can't predict when an employee might leave.

2. Know The Skills
Know the skills and personality traits that will make a person successful in a given job, so you can develop great job descriptions when you're hiring. This helps you, and it helps potential applicants learn in advance about the skills needed for the position. When both you and the applicant are on the same page, a lot of time can be saved.

3. One Isn't Enough
Don't be "the kid in the candy store" and hire the 1st app who walks through the door. Be patient and meet as many applicants as you can. Sure, you'll open yourself up to a few "cringe-worthy" interviews, but in the end you can never tell when that future star will sit down across the desk from you.

4. Be Direct
Be prepared to ask a host of questions in order to accurately assess the applicant's true abilities. Can they perform the duties you need them to? That's not the only question. Do they have the right attitude? What's their energy level? Are they are trustworthy and responsible? Do they have a desire for learning and growth? Are they are willing to follow the leader and work with the team? There are so many things to know. So ask, ask, and ask some more to get as clear a picture as possible.

5. What Do You Expect?
New employees rarely understand exactly what is expected of them, how they will be measured, or with whom they will work the most. Be sure to communicate expectations, gaols and overall vision clearly from the start.

6. Pay Up
Talented people expect their contributions to be acknowledged and their compensation to reflect their impact. If necessary, do a competitive compensation survey.

7. Develop Them
Every company leaves a tremendous amount of potential untapped because its people are inadequately developed. Provide informal feedback and coaching, cross training and opportunities for advancement. Train all new employees thoroughly in job requirements immediately upon hiring. Putting a new employee on the job to ìsink or swim results in frustration, sloppy work habits and omission of important details. Reinforce the attitudes and behavior patterns you want. A new employee is usually highly receptive to suggestions and eagerly assimilates and readily accepts the organizational vision, mission and goals.

8. And Before They Go
Retention of talent often begins at the end of the process. Chances are, an employee who is walking out the door will be more honest and forthcoming than a person who still depends on your company for a paycheck. But in order to ensure truly effective exit interviews, a leader must establish a climate of trust long before he or she receives the letter of resignation.