Is Your Hiring Strategy Responsible for High Turnover?

The cause of high employee turnover often lies in the earliest steps of the hiring process. By focusing on the hiring process, law firms and legal departments can reduce turnover rates, boost productivity, and hire better talent.

Here are several hiring mistakes that often lead to turnover:

Relying on outdated job descriptions.

If your job descriptions haven’t been updated in a while, chances are good that they no longer accurately reflect the work your staff actually do on a day to day basis. When job descriptions don’t match actual job responsibilities, the candidate hired to fill them may be a poor fit. The new hire may leave once they realize the job they applied to do isn’t the one they do every day.

To improve job descriptions, ask staff members and their direct supervisors to describe their daily responsibilities and how those fit with the team as a whole. Use their input to update job descriptions and job postings.

Failing to address cultural fit.

Many hiring managers focus so intently on finding the right skill sets that they miss the right person for the job. When a new hire’s personality and approach to work don’t mesh well with the team, the new hire quickly starts to look for a new job.

By building job postings and outreach around your company’s cultural values, you can easily communicate the type of culture you offer. People who fit well with your culture will be more likely to apply – and those who won’t fit well will be more likely to look elsewhere.

“Winging it” in the interview process.

It’s common for hiring managers to assume that they can conduct an interview. Asking questions isn’t too hard, right?

In fact, interviewing is a skill, which means that any manager can learn and improve upon their ability to ask the right questions, parse the answers, and hone in on the traits that will make a candidate more likely to fit well with the team (and less likely to leave). Don’t hesitate to ensure that hiring managers have the training they need to hold outstanding interviews.

Skimming over onboarding.

Even the best candidate in terms of skill and fit will suffer if onboarding is neglected. Before the new hire’s first day, plan a schedule that includes both onboarding activities and time on the job. A schedule that covers the first two, three or even six weeks of the new hire’s time with the team can help integrate the new employee more thoroughly, improving his or her chances of staying with the team.

Looking to hire legal professionals in Toronto? We can help!

At Kent Legal, our recruiters focus on helping our clients find and keep great talent in the greater Toronto area. To learn more, contact us today.