How to Screen for Retention

With unemployment at an all-time low,1 it’s harder than ever to recruit. So it’s critical to think
about retention as early as when you’re interviewing new candidates. Because attrition can
have such a profound effect on your bottom line, it makes fiscal sense to prioritize retention.

Here’s what to look for on a candidate’s application and

what to listen for in a screening interview:

SOURCE: Did the applicant apply Hires that use Glassdoor have
through Glassdoor? 30% higher retention rates.2

Candidates who visit Glassdoor spend

MISSION: Does the candidate’s
2.5x longer researching a company
passion align with company mission? (on average) before applying.3

CULTURE ADD: Does who this

It’s not about a culture fit, where you
person is inherently complement your
hire more of the same types of people —
company’s collective approach to work it’s about culture add.
and collaboration?

RESILIENCE: In the interview or Overall, a 10% more difficult job

test, give feedback in a way that interview process is associated with
resembles the intensity of feedback higher employee satisfaction
that’s part of the workplace culture. later on.4

COMPENSATION: Can you offer a On average, a 10% higher base pay is

associated with a statistically significant
competitive salary? Pay does motivate
chance that a worker will stay at the
employees to stay.
company for their next role.5

1. Source: BLS “Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey” ; 2. Source: 2017 Glassdoor Employer Retention Study; 3. Based on 11.8 million applications in 2016 compiled
by leading third party recruitment agency; 4. Source: Glassdoor Economic Research, October 2015; 5. Glassdoor Economic Research, “Why Do Workers Quit? The Factors
That Predict Employee Turnover” February 2017

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PASSION, EQ AND STRATEGY: Are you asking the right questions?

Three questions most effective in screening for retention:

What was your favorite job and why? Look for your candidate to
1
light up here — you want to know that they can feel passionate
about their work.

When you picture your best qualities, what are they and when did
2
you live them in the workplace? This question is a great way to assess
how self-aware your candidate is, and it can be an indicator of
emotional intelligence or EQ.

Tell me about a successful project you worked on. This is a classic

3
behavioral question that helps you learn about how the candidate
approached a task at a past company.

Download our Master Interviewing Toolkit that contains leading

RESOURCE methods for planning and executing great interviews. These steps
are easy to adopt and proven to be effective for organizations,
large and small.

Post a job on Glassdoor, where millions of highly engaged

job seekers research companies looking for their dream jobs.

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Copyright © 2008–2018, Glassdoor, Inc. ​​“Glassdoor” and logo are proprietary trademarks of Glassdoor, Inc.