No company wants employees to stay a short period of time.  The hiring process is long, on-boarding requires a lot of resource, and with each passing month the employee becomes more valuable. So what can you do to be sure you are hiring employees that stay for the long term?  Here are our top 5 tips based on our experience with candidates in the technology sector.

1. Probe during the hiring process

Ask specific interview questions that provide insight into how long the candidate is planning on staying. For example, if they mention they have always wanted to live in Florida, and plan to live there one day, or tell you that they are thinking of getting an MBA, you need to ask a more questions to ascertain whether this is a ‘gap-filling’ role for them.

2. Know the manager

Management style is a common reason for employees choosing to leave their jobs. In fact, 17 percent of employees stated management or general work environment as the reason for leaving their previous company. In order to make a great hire you need to take into consideration the management style of the person your candidate will be working for. That way, when a candidate tells you what kind of management style they prefer, you are able to accurately gauge if they would be a good fit or not.

Also, asking related questions about preferred work environment will give you insight into how good a match the candidate is for your particular organisation.  If an employee does not fit in with the company culture, chances are they will leave as soon as another opportunity arises.

3. Accurate job descriptions

The job description is of fundamental importance. This is your first opportunity to depict a clear image of the job you are trying to fill.  The clearer you are, the clearer your new employee is on what to expect. If the new hire is asked to execute tasks that were not discussed in the job interview or in the job description, they may feel cheated or misled, which can lead to them wanting to leave.

Writing job descriptions isn’t easy though, particularly in the tech sector. A good recruitment consultant can help you develop a job description that accurately reflects the role and your company.

4. Mobility

You should find out early in the hiring process if your job seekers are looking for a stable position or one where they can quickly move up the ladder. If you hire job seekers that are looking to advance their career in a short period of time, then they will likely be disappointed if it doesn’t happen, or if it happens too slowly.  Considering 32 percent of employees leave their employers because of this exact reason, you need to be clear and honest about career progression.  Ask interview questions that help you ascertain what this employee is looking for. Are they looking for a position they can take hold of and grow? Do they want to move up the ladder in the next 5-10 years? Are they looking for a specific role they can stay in for years?

5. Salary

Many of the candidates we speak to are interested in leaving their current role for higher pay. In fact research shows that 22 percent of those looking to leave their job are in search of higher pay. So in order to retain employees, and be sure they are satisfied, you need to make sure you are offering a competitive salary. Know the industry standards for their position and factor in the candidate’s experience and skills. If they are top talent and you are not willing to pay them adequately, bear in mind that some other company will.

About Oliver Parks

Oliver Parks Consulting offers search-based recruitment solutions to the technology sector, specialising in the ERP, CRM, CMS, ECM, BI and Open Source Technology spaces. The firm’s multilingual consultants operate in narrowly-defined niche market segments, enabling them to gain extensive knowledge of the people and companies operating in each technology.  Oliver Parks has a proven track-record with more than 100,000 candidates worldwide and more than 300 clients globally.