It happens to everyone: you fill a position and two months later, your new hire quits. That raises your recruiting costs because you have to go through the process of screening candidates and selecting someone for that position all over again. It’s also disappointing that someone you thought was the best person for the job didn’t stick around.
While you can’t eliminate turnover, it is possible to reduce it if you hire candidates with the most long-term potential. Here’s how to spot them.
They’re focused on helping others
Employees stay in their jobs long-term when their personality is a good fit with the culture of the workplace and with the kinds of tasks they’re required to do. In hospitality, that means being friendly, being a good listener, and showing a genuine desire to help guests. The right personality is much more important than having formal qualifications. A candidate should present himself in a friendly and courteous way and be able to talk about times he helped others, either as part of a job or in his personal life.
They set goals
People persevere when they’re working toward goals. Look for candidates who are aiming to achieve something in particular in a new workplace, not just routinely switching from one job to the next. The goal could be something ambitious like working up to a management position, or it could be as simple as learning a new food preparation technique. What matters is that the candidate has a reason to keep coming back to work and that he can track his progress toward the goal to stay motivated.
They learn from setbacks
New employees are going to make some mistakes as they settle into their new roles, so you want to find candidates who take setbacks in stride and view them as learning experiences. When a new hire gets lost looking for a room or records a reservation for the wrong week, you want her to learn from that experience and continue with her work instead of getting discouraged and quitting. Ask candidates to tell you about an error they made and how they recovered from it. An ideal candidate might say that she learned how to avoid repeating the mistake and that she put extra effort into her work.
They believe in themselves
New hires have to believe they can succeed in their position so they’ll have a reason to persist in it. Look for candidates who speak confidently about the job they’re applying for. They should also be able to list a few personal qualities that will help them do well at work. For example, a candidate might say that he’s prepared to be a host because he is outgoing, organized, and attentive to detail.
Candidates whose personalities are a good fit for the position and who have positive attitudes about the job are the ones with long-term potential. They see a position as an opportunity to learn and accomplish new things. So when you interview, keep an eye out for the people who have these characteristics; they’ll be great members of your team for the long term.