Leverage An Employee’s Fears About Retention In Your Job Search

Join us as we talk about…

In this week’s episode…

• You’ll learn why employee retention is top priority for every employer.
• Next, you’ll learn 3 ways to put an employer’s mind at ease during the interview process.
• Finally, you’ll learn how to anticipate the employer’s concerns during the interview.

Leverage An Employee’s Fears About Retention.

If you ask any manager what their number one priority is, they’ll tell you without hesitation: it’s retention. Employee engagement and retention are at the top of every employer’s priority list.

Why do employers care so much? Because high turnover is costly. Quantifying exactly how much businesses spend to replace every employee who leaves is a challenge, and estimates can only measure dollars.

Experts estimate that anywhere from six to nine months of an existing employee’s salary is lost between productivity, retraining, initial hiring costs, and the expense of hiring and retraining a new employee.

There’s also a more abstract cost when talent leaves – they take their institutional knowledge with them. This puts a ceiling on the speed and quality of the work that can be done.

Every company wants to attract and keep the best talent. If you can send the message to employers that you are looking to stick around, this is going to give you a definite edge in your job search.

So how do you do that? There are three things you can do that will guarantee you’ve put a potential employer’s mind at ease.

The first way to convince employers is to do your research about the job you’re applying for.

Specifically, I’m talking about keyword research. It’s incredibly simple to upload your resume on a job search site and use the Easy Apply button.

As a result, many people apply for jobs without even reading the whole description. What can it hurt to apply, they think? And that’s why 99% of Global 500 companies use Applicant Tracking Systems to discard hundreds of applicants automatically.

The AI that does this is using one thing and one thing only to determine who is a good fit – the words on your resume. So if those words don’t match the words in the job description, you will not be making it past the ATS. Period. But I’m not just talking about keyword research.

The second thing you can do to show employers that you’re as invested in them as they are in you is to research the company. Dig in. From their social media to their press releases, find out what they’ve said about themselves. See what others are saying about the company on the Better Business Bureau, Glassdoor, and Blind.

Introduce yourself to an employee who works there and, after building some rapport with that person, ask for an informational interview. Ask questions and draw conclusions. Only then will you be able to anticipate what the company is looking for in a candidate.

Mention a quality or skill you have in your cover letter, your resume and in interviews that will assure them you can solve a problem they are facing. Armed with the research you’ve done, when you make it to the interview stage it’s time for a third and powerful step: anticipate their needs. Address these questions, even if they’re not asked: 

• What attracted you to this position?” …
• “Why did you leave your last job?” …
• “What motivates you?” …
• “What makes work enjoyable for you?” …
• “What do you expect from your relationship with your manager?”

Use what you’ve learned about the company and its current needs, and use your answers to demonstrate that you know what you’re getting yourself into. “This company is my top choice because of XYZ reasons.” “I see my personal values reflected in the mission of ABC company.”

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