When a Hiring Manager hires a full-time employee, the implication is that this person will stay with the organization for many years to come. Maybe not until retirement, but for the foreseeable future.
If Hiring Managers would be asked to articulate for how long they want their new hire to stay in their organization, many would say five to ten years or more.
However, many successful hires do not end up this way, sadly. Both the Recruiter and the Hiring Manager wish for this outcome, but things happen along the way. Of course, when a company is bought or there is a layoff, it is outside the employee’s control. However, many employees leave on their own accord.
How do you, as a Hiring Manager, hire someone for the long term? Not just 1-2 years, but five to ten years or even longer?
After all, subconsciously, this is your ultimate goal when you hire.
As the owner of NewConfig for the last ten years, we have hired close to a thousand employees for our clients and we have seen many careers flourish. Sadly, some candidates have left earlier than we expected too.
In this article, I want to explain the three secrets to hiring candidates long term. Candidates that are not only very productive and successful. They are also loyal to the Hiring Manager that hired them.
Secret #1: The past predicts the future.
If a candidate was a job hopper in the past switching roles every one to two years, most likely, they will hop from your job as well. Most people do not change their ways. Some do, but they need a huge event in their lives to make them change their belief patterns.
You can notice their history on their resume and we do warn clients that care about longevity, to watch for job hoppers on the CV.
Secret #2: Enthusiasm for the job.
If during the job interview process, the candidate is very excited about the role: responds fast, sends thank you notes, and accepts the offer within 3 business days, then chances are very high that they will stay loyal to you.
Over the years, we noticed enthusiasm in the interview process is a good predictor of loyalty.
Secret #3: Negativity about past employers.
Most likely, if they talk negatively about their past employers, then they will talk negatively about you after you hire them. Negativity breeds more negativity and may lower their loyalty to you and your firm.
I have noticed negativity during the interview is an indicator of loyalty in the future so I do recommend avoiding candidates that are negative towards their past or current employers.
If you need professional advice for hiring top talent please reach out and I will gladly help you.