• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Chart Your Course International

We help businesses transform themselves into exceptional places to work that attract, retain and motivate people to their full potential.

“Creating Great Places to Work”

Call 770-860-9464

  • Home
  • About Us
    • Gregory P. Smith
    • What We Do
    • Photo Gallery
    • Press Center
    • Client List
    • Testimonials | Speaking
    • Client Testimonials | Training
  • Keynotes
    • Watch Videos
    • Topics
    • Client Testimonials
    • For Meeting Planners
    • Request Speaking Engagement
  • Solutions
    • Take a 5-Minute Organizational Health Check
    • Consulting Projects
    • Suggestion Campaign (BIC)
    • Employee Retention
    • Executive Retreats
    • Team Building Workshops
  • Training
    • Custom Training
    • Online Training
    • Leadership Courses
    • DISC Workshops
    • Customer Service Programs
    • Healthcare Customer Service
  • Assessments
    • Why We Are the Best
    • FREE DISC Report
    • Sample DISC Assessments
    • DISC Reports
    • Sales
    • Emotional Intelligence Report
    • Organizational Surveys
  • Certification
    • DISC Certification Virtual – Live
    • DISC Master Certification
    • One-on-One Web Certification
    • Self-Study DISC Certification
    • Emotional Intelligence (EQ)
    • Certified DISC Trainers
    • Live Driving Forces Program
    • Driving Forces Self-Study
    • Client Testimonials
    • Members Only
  • Resources
    • Free DISC Report
    • Navigator Newsletter
    • Evaluate Your Business – Free Health Check
    • Articles
    • Free DISC E-Book
    • Teambuilding Exercises
  • Shop
  • BLOG
  • Login
  • Contact

July 23, 2012 by Greg

Interview Strategies that Stop Employee Turnover

Turnover is that one HR buzz word every company president understands. Have you ever met an executive, manager, or business owner who is not keenly aware of how turnover creates chaos for their company? This single issue sustains the multi billion dollar recruiting and placement industry.

The personnel director for an upscale national hotel chain stated at one location they employed 400 employees but turned over 300 per year. The thought of that amount of turnover is staggering – but very real. What was happening to create the turnover – and more important – how could that be changed?

The president of a medical company confirmed he employed 120 sales reps throughout the country. The turnover in that specific job was 65% per year. Again – staggering. But what was happening to create the turnover? Was it the employee or the company? The question commonly asked when we deal with turnover is “How did we make the wrong hiring decision?” Many times the problem can be traced to events that happened even before the employee was hired.

If the concept of turnover is all too familiar, you may want to reconsider your interview approach. The first disconnect begins when we interview people for what we expect from them rather than uncovering what the candidate expects from the job and the company. After conducting countless exit interviews, it is all too common to hear employees say –“That job was not what I expected.” The employee had been hired without anyone learning what they expected in the work environment.

Why do so many interviewers make mistakes in this area? Because most interviews start with the wrong questions. The interviewer begins by asking “What does this candidate bring to our company?” You might consider asking “What motivates this candidate to make a move and what will this candidate need to become the best employee for our company?”

So, how do you uncover this information and hire better candidates? Let’s assume that you have read the resume and can clearly see that this candidate has the right experience, degrees, certifications, skills and track record for the position.

The obvious next step is to set up a face to face interview. Simple, right? Wrong! I recommend you NEVER do the initial interview in person. You may be wondering how a good selection decision can be made without seeing the candidate. The fact is initial interviews are much more effective without visual impact. Why? Most of us are influenced on a visual level; we have our own biases and make decisions based on physical attributes. In fact, if you think back on your worst hires, perhaps you made a hiring decision based on what you saw or felt and NOT on what you heard. It is too easy to get caught up in appearance – size, height, weight, hair, clothes, etc.

The First interview should take no less then 45 minutes and should be conducted by telephone. A telephone interview forces you to LISTEN – not watch. Forty-five minutes is the least amount of time you will need to determine if the candidate warrants a face to face interview.

Most interviewers approach the first meeting with the concept of “this is what is expected by our company or does this candidate have the right skills to meet our requirements?” The most successful interviewers make it a point to FIRST find out what the candidate expects!

The interview should determine the behaviors, attitudes and motivations each candidate brings to the job. Do not start the conversation with questions that uncover a candidate’s specific skills or goals. Do start the interview with “What do YOU need in order to make a job change and What do YOU need in order to consider our company as your next employer?” Your conversation should explore the details of the job fit with what the candidate expects. What attracted the candidate to this particular job? If the job requires travel – Ask, what amount of travel is acceptable. If the job requires weekend work – Ask, how this fits with their lifestyle? Within the first five minutes of an interview, ask, “In order to make a change to a new position – what is the range of pay you expect, or what do you believe you deserve at this point in your career?” If you begin to see a series of disconnects between the realities of the job and the expectations of the applicant – it is time to move on. If expectations don’t align, save yourself the pain of an interview that is going nowhere or worse, a hire that will be short lived.

Having conducted thousands of interviews, I have found this process to be the MOST EFFECTIVE WAY to start selecting the right candidates;

  • Identify candidates with the right hard skills
  • Determine what the candidate expects from the job
  • Determine if your organization can meet those expectations
  • Conduct initial interviews over the telephone
  • Look for behaviors and attitudes that fit the job
  • ASK direct questions that relate to the candidate’s expectations

If your company cannot meet the expectations of the new hire, that new employee will begin to look for their next job shortly, and will be telling the next interviewer –“That job wasn’t what I expected.”
© Sherry Hribar 2006

Sherry Hribar is the President of HR Advantage in Cleveland, Ohio and has 20+ years of experience in the Human Resource and Sales fields. She holds a MS in Organizational Development from Case Western Reserve University and is a Certified Behavioral Analyst. She consults with company owners and managers on employee selection and employee development, coaches individuals in the midst of career change, and trains consultants on best hiring practices.

For more information on how to guarantee your hiring success using assessments — Click here!

Filed Under: Employee Selection

Primary Sidebar

Search This Site

DISC Certification & Training

View Training Calender

Have Questions? 800-821-2487 or 770-860-9464

Preview Management Training Courses | Free Previews

Free Online Course Preview

Team Building Exercises

img

Complete 100% Money Back Guarantee

Our Newest and Latest Version!

icebreakersrotary

Best Icebreakers and Teambuilding Exercises Digital E-Book Pdf

Automatic Download of the E-book within seconds after you click on the “Buy Now” button on our store.. You can read it on your computer in PDF format if you like, or print it out on your printer. No shipping charges.

More information 

Icebreakers and Teambuilding ExercisesIcebreakers & Team Building Exercises – E-Book Version

  • Co-Operation
  • Crash in Piranha Valley
  • Golf Ball in the Bag
  • Space Mission to the Moon
  • Torpedo Weapons Loading Exercise
  • Scavenger Hunt
  • Terrorist Toxic Explosive Situation

 

More information

Bright Ideas Facilitator Kit

Order the Kit
Bright Ideas Employee Suggestion Campaign

Footer

IMPORTANT LINKS

  • Free Newsletter
  • Free Resources
  • DISC Certification Training
  • Executive Retreat Facilitators
  • Store
  • Blog
  • Management Training Programs
  • Privacy

RECENT POSTS

  • Getting Your Oil Changed the Ritz-Carlton Way March 21, 2023
  • How To Retain Employees in an Unstable Job Market December 15, 2022
  • 3 Tips for Training Leaders to Work With Remote Teams October 25, 2022
  • Why Hiring is Irrelevant if You Can’t Solve Retention August 24, 2022

LOCATION

Chart Your Course International
Chapel Hill, North Carolina

(770) 860-9464
CONTACT US

Free ebook

Online Training Courses

SPECIAL SAVINGS! GET 50% OFF ALL COURSES (770) 860-9464

©2002-2023 Chart Your Course International Inc