How to hire and retain the best employees

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The recruitment process can be long and costly so when you finally find your perfect candidate, chances are that you want to do everything you can to keep them.

Below are some top tips that will help you source high quality employees and retain them for much longer as well.

Start looking before you need to hire – naturally, most companies won’t start looking for candidates until there’s a need for a new recruit. This is normal and seems perfectly logical but it can actually delay the process when you do need to hire.

It’s a good idea to create a list of quality candidates in advance so that you at least have somewhere to start when you do need new staff. This is one of the reasons why recruitment agencies are so popular – they already have a database full of candidates they know.

Consider remote working – working remotely is becoming increasingly popular and thanks to technology, it couldn’t be easier to organise the logistics of this. By allowing employees to work remotely some or even all of the time, you can really widen your talent pool and attract the best candidates possible.

Focus on the right skills – companies often get caught up in thinking the most important things are experience and qualifications. This shouldn’t necessarily always be the case however as there are a lot more important qualities that a great candidate should possess. Think about the following instead:

• Can they work in a team environment?
• Can they make decisions and solve problems?
• Are they a good communicator?
• Can they plan, organise and prioritise their workload?

Pay competitively – believe it or not, many candidate surveys have revealed that pay is not the most important thing someone will consider when deciding whether or not to accept a job. It is of course still a big consideration, especially the higher up the career ladder you go. Good people are expensive and if you want to attract them, you will have to pay competitively in comparison to your competitors.

Offer good benefits – the benefits you offer candidates can be the difference between them accepting a job and turning it down. It can also have a big influence on how long people stay in a job. From remote working, flexible hours, healthcare and free gym membership to childcare vouchers, finishing early on a Friday and social events, think about what makes your company a good place to work at.

Provide opportunities – a good candidate will want to know how they can grow and develop in your company so ensure that there are plenty of opportunities available. People will want to know the kind of projects they will be working on, the people they will be working with, the style of leadership they will be working under, the nature of the company as a whole and whether or not there will be opportunities for promotions