Recruiting for the Long Haul

A high turnover rate among your Creatives can cost you a lot, and not just in terms of money.

There's a lab with which I work sometimes that recruits people with the expectation they'll only be there for a few years. Even though this lab does cutting edge work, it's located in a somewhat remote location. While that's OK for young people right out of school, it's not quite as great when they start having kids and are worrying about their future potential in their field. So, they have a lot of young scientists with only a few years of experience, and the leadership is OK with that.

There's a monetary cost associated with that kind of turnover. The costs associated with the recruiting effort, plus any up front expenses (moving costs, signing bonuses, etc) get repeated regularly. But there's also a cost in terms of future leadership. Today's leaders won't always be around, and the lab is shooting itself in the foot if it doesn't try to develop new leaders from within.

So, when you're recruiting with a long term view, what do you look for?

Well, first of all, you need to look for qualities beyond technical skills and demonstrated creative ability. Before you start reviewing resumes, build a list of those qualities you'd like to see in a leader. You may be recruiting your future replacement, so think about what's worked for you and what hasn't. When you're interviewing applicants, be looking for signs of those characteristics, and focus on those people.

Next, recruit in a way that encourages longevity. Offer incentives that go beyond immediate rewards, like signing bonuses. Look instead at deferred incentives, longevity bonuses, or advanced training and education with a commitment to stay with the firm for a period of time. If you give people an incentive to leave (like the military does when they offer college tuition benefits to new recruits), they'll leave. If you offer them no incentives at all, they will stick around only until they find a better deal. But if you offer incentives to stay, they're more likely to stick with you.

Not every new employee is destined for leadership, and you shouldn't apply this recruiting style to everyone. But you need to consider it when designing your recruiting plan. Creative firms have demanding requirements when it comes to leadership, and it's harder to find a good leader by getting a senior person off the street than it is to find one by nurturing one on the inside. Identify your future requirements that need to be met now -- and remember, grooming a leader can take years -- and recruit now in a way that will help you meet those needs down the road.