Competing for Talent.

• Author: McKimmie, Kathy
• Position: Brief Article

People aren't "plug and play"

In the audience at one of Nancy Ahlrichs' many seminars on becoming an "employer of choice" was a publisher who liked what he heard and asked her to write a book. Competing for Talent, Key Recruitment and Retention Strategies for Becoming an Employer of Choice becomes available this month.

Businesses already know the problems: tough competition for qualified applicants and the high cost of turnover. Ahlrichs offers some specific observations and advice gleaned from more than 20 years of human resources and management consulting.

Companies have to "rethink recruiting and look at retention from the very beginning," says Ahlrichs. "They don't have the luxury of making a mistake." Hiring the wrong person will increase turnover, lower quality and send the wrong message to other employees that the company doesn't care, she says.

"I've actually heard managers say 'if this one doesn't work out we'll hire another one,'" says Ahlrichs. "But people aren't 'plug and play."' She recommends getting back to basics in the hiring process, which means having a clear job description, looking for the competencies that make a star and asking behavior-based questions. For example, ask applicants to describe a difficult situation they have encountered with a peer and how they worked it out. This approach is more valuable than hypothetical "what if" questions used by some interviewers, says Ahlrichs, where "literally, they can lie."

Career development is also an important recruiting and retention tool. Applicants want to know there is movement within the organization, even laterally. Alrichs says companies without a promotional path that continually go outside the organization for hires send the message: "No career path here." That leads to even more turnover.

The need to be competitive in wages and benefits is a given, says Ahlrichs. And unlike those in the Baby Boomer...