6 Recruitment Planning Tips To Ensure New Hire Retention

recruitment planning means lower employee turnover

Losing an employee is exceptionally costly, ranging from tens of thousands of dollars per loss to 1.5 – 2x your employee’s yearly wage. 

When it comes time for recruitment planning, it’s critical to hire the most qualified employee for the job who is least likely to resign in the near future. Here we’ll highlight the top 6 tips to incorporate into your recruitment strategy plan, with the ultimate goal of increasing employee longevity.

Recruitment Planning For Long-Term Fit

When thinking about the objectives of recruitment at your company, it’s critical to implement the following to ensure long-term fit with new hires.

Highlight Company Culture

The worst hire you can make is one that doesn’t mix with current company culture. According to Built In, employees who dislike company culture are 24% more likely to resign, and 46% of candidates note that company culture is essential when applying to companies. 

These statistics mean that being clear about company culture not only reduces employee turnover, but it encourages like-minded candidates to apply in the first place. 

Company culture can be made clear across various channels, including:

  • Job descriptions
  • Social media
  • Company website
  • In-person 

The first step in this part of recruitment planning is to make culture clear in the job description, as that’s likely a candidate’s first touchpoint. Mention details about time off, other perks, professional training opportunities, and more. 

Use social media, your company website, and in-person interviews or tours as a way to highlight aspects of organizational culture that matter. Show candidates what’s unique about working for you.

You can also post testimonials and team photos around the office, on your site, or on social media.

By being clear about your culture up-front, you’re attracting the best and most compatible talent. This is especially true when hiring for executive-level positions, as they’ll be a large part of upholding culture in their respective department.

Create A Thorough Job Description

Given the job description is the first touchpoint for many candidates, you’ll want to make sure it’s top-notch. Excellent job descriptions:

  • Enable current employees and the new hire’s future manager to decide what traits and responsibilities they want to be made clear to applicants
  • Inform candidates of the job’s duties
  • Help employees who are interviewing candidates best prepare questions
  • May provide a legal safety net by allowing you to prove why the applicant you chose was the best fit for the job, based on the description

To create the best posting possible, conduct a job analysis. This includes researching sample job descriptions for the open position, looking at competitor’s job descriptions, analyzing the work and responsibilities of the future employee, and surveying the duties of current hires.

By making duties, tasks, and desired traits clear up-front, you’re far more likely to hire the perfect person for the job, decreasing the likelihood of turnover.

Offer Commensurate (And Competitive) Salaries

The best employees expect certain pay and perks. New hires who aren’t being paid market rates commensurate with their experience are far more likely to leave the company. In fact, 50% of the higher turnover that results from lower pay occurs in the first 45 days.

Start by using Glassdoor’s salary calculator to determine what a fair wage is for the open position. Conducting salary surveys, doing market research, and using various tools are great ways to stay on top of market trends.

Additionally, make sure you’re flexible and know what your new hire wants. Some candidates would prefer a lower salary in exchange for better stock options. Others may be more attracted to bonuses, such as flexible paid-time-off, rather than the largest salary number.

As part of adequate recruitment planning, make sure to schedule out what you can afford to pay for various positions. This way, no position goes underpaid, as this is far more likely to lead to turnover.

Offer Excellent Benefits

According to Glassdoor, 50% of candidates’ biggest frustrations with the hiring process involve a lack of information about benefits and salary. Thus, along with compensation, you’ll want to be clear about employee benefits. These include:

  • Paid time off
  • Remote work flexibility
  • Maternity and paternity leave
  • Professional development opportunities (such as a stipend)
  • Gym membership reimbursements
  • Pet-friendly offices
  • …and more

If you want to stay competitive and attract top talent, your recruitment planning should highlight your company’s benefits. You’ll want to do so in the job description, during the hiring process, and throughout onboarding.

Of course, do research on the benefits offered by your competitors to ensure your benefits are attractive.

Provide Upward Growth

According to a Gallup poll, professional growth and development opportunities are the top priority for 87% of millennials. Further, a LinkedIn report found that 93% of workers would stay longer with a company if it helped accelerate employees’ careers.

The importance of upward growth can’t be understated. Ensure new hires understand precisely how they can advance their careers at your company and do your best to offer professional development. This can include hosting seminars, providing a stipend for continued education, and more. 

Learn more on exactly how you can encourage employee growth.

Be Analytical

While it may seem easier to go off gut feelings when selecting new hires, this can be detrimental and increase turnover. The best candidates aren’t always the most outgoing ones or those with the biggest smiles. The last situation you want to be in is having hired the most outspoken candidate, only to find out they’re missing essential skills. 

To ensure an objective evaluation of all candidates, first identify your primary hiring criteria. This can include attributes such as emotional intelligence, motivation, coachability, and more.

You’ll also want to create a scorecard during the recruitment planning process that’s based on your primary criteria; this allows you to score your top attributes based on weight (importance) and calculate a weighted score for each candidate.

Further, especially when conducting recruitment for virtual positions, use video calls to evaluate candidates. This allows you to better score their interpersonal skills and get to know them more.

These processes remove any subjective evaluations and better ensure you hire the most qualified applicant.

Take The Guesswork Out Of Recruiting

Recruitment companies reduce lost opportunity costs and streamline the entire process, providing you access to top-notch talent pools that may otherwise be off-limits. 

Further, there are times where you can’t afford to swing and miss when hiring new talent. This is especially true for executive-level positions, where poor recruitment planning and hiring has a trickle-down effect on the entire company.


If you’re looking to hire a c-suite employee, let Jennings Executive help. We’ll secure the right executive who can lead your organization to booming success. Learn more about us today.

Daniel Wilkinson

Vice President of Strategic Initiatives & Client Success

DANIEL WILKINSON IS THE VICE PRESIDENT OF STRATEGIC INITIATIVES & CLIENT SUCCESS. HE BRINGS OVER TWO DECADES OF EXPERIENCE IN COMMERCIAL AND PRICING STRATEGY, HAVING HELD KEY LEADERSHIP ROLES AT DELTA AIR LINES AND DELTA VACATIONS. HIS CAREER IS MARKED BY A PROVEN TRACK RECORD IN DRIVING SIGNIFICANT BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION THROUGH INNOVATIVE DATA-DRIVEN STRATEGIES, CROSS-FUNCTIONAL TEAM LEADERSHIP, AND ENHANCED PROFITABILITY. DAN’S EXPERTISE IS IN HIS ABILITY TO INTEGRATE DATA ANALYTICS WITH STRATEGIC PLANNING, ENABLING ORGANIZATIONS TO OPTIMIZE THEIR REVENUE MANAGEMENT AND PRICING STRATEGIES IN DYNAMIC MARKET ENVIRONMENTS.

AT DELTA VACATIONS, DAN SERVED AS VICE PRESIDENT OF STRATEGIC BUSINESS/IT PLANNING & REVENUE MANAGEMENT, WHERE HE SUCCESSFULLY LED TEAMS IN DELIVERING SCALABLE TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS, DEFINING GO-TO-MARKET STRATEGIES AND DRIVING SIGNIFICANT INCREMENTAL REVENUE AND PROFIT.

DAN RECEIVED A BACHELOR OF SCIENCE FROM TAYLOR UNIVERSITY AND AN MBA WITH A FINANCE CONCENTRATION FROM EMORY UNIVERSITY’S GOIZUETA BUSINESS SCHOOL.

Brian Banister

EXECUTIVE RECRUITER

BRIAN BANISTER IS AN EXECUTIVE RECRUITER AT JENNINGS EXECUTIVE SEARCH. BRIAN HAS A BROAD RANGE OF EXPERIENCE, HAVING WORKED IN STRATEGY & CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT, FINANCIAL PLANNING & ANALYSIS, AND PUBLIC ACCOUNTING ROLES FOR LEADING COMPANIES AND CLIENTS IN THE HOSPITALITY, REAL ESTATE, MANAGEMENT CONSULTING, AND TECHNOLOGY, MEDIA, AND TELECOM (TMT) SECTORS. HE BEGAN HIS CAREER AT DELOITTE & TOUCHE, WORKING AS A LICENSED CPA. AFTER DELOITTE, BRIAN PIVOTED INTO CORPORATE FINANCE, WHERE HE HELD POSITIONS IN STRATEGY & CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT AT INTERCONTINENTAL HOTELS GROUP (IHG) AND COX COMMUNICATIONS, AS WELL AS AN FP&A ROLE AT BOSTON CONSULTING GROUP (BCG). THESE ROLES ALLOWED BRIAN TO GAIN VALUABLE EXPOSURE IN AREAS LIKE CLIENT SERVICES, STRATEGIC CONSULTING & PLANNING, FINANCIAL ANALYSIS, AND M&A AND INVESTMENT ACTIVITY.

BRIAN’S EDUCATION INCLUDES BOTH A MASTER OF ACCOUNTANCY DEGREE AND A BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION IN ACCOUNTING FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA.

Lori Shad

EXECUTIVE RECRUITER

DRIVING TRANSFORMATION THROUGH PEOPLE IS OUR MISSION AND LORI’S PASSION AS AN EXECUTIVE RECRUITER WITH JENNINGS EXECUTIVE SEARCH. SHE CONDUCTS THOROUGH RESEARCH ON EACH ROLE AND BUILDS STRONG RELATIONSHIPS WITH CANDIDATES TO HELP CONNECT PROFESSIONALS WITH THEIR NEXT GREAT OPPORTUNITY. LORI SPENT 22 YEARS AT A FORTUNE 500 INSURANCE COMPANY IN PRODUCT MANAGEMENT, SALES/BUSINESS CONSULTING, AND RECRUITING ROLES. SHE USES THIS EXPERIENCE AS SHE SEARCHES FOR THE BEST TALENT TO HELP DRIVE CLIENT SUCCESS FORWARD. SHE’S FOCUSED ON DELIVERING RESULTS AND GETS THERE THROUGH EFFICIENCY AND TENACITY WITH AN EMPATHETIC, COMPASSIONATE, FUN, GENUINE, AND POSITIVE APPROACH. SHE HAS BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN HELPING CLIENTS ACHIEVE BUSINESS OBJECTIVES THROUGH UNDERSTANDING NEEDS, CREATING INDIVIDUAL, DATA-DRIVEN SOLUTIONS, AND SOLVING PROBLEMS, AS WELL AS POSITIVE RELATIONSHIP BUILDING AND TEAMWORK.

LORI GRADUATED WITH A BACHELOR OF SCIENCE DEGREE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA.

Justin Graves

EXECUTIVE RECRUITER

JUSTIN GRAVES IS AN EXECUTIVE RECRUITER AT JENNINGS EXECUTIVE SEARCH.

JUSTIN HAS A VARIETY OF EXPERIENCES WORKING WITHIN PUBLIC AND INDUSTRY ACCOUNTING. HE BEGAN HIS CAREER WITH PATHSTONE FAMILY OFFICE PREPARING TAX RETURNS FOR HIGH NET WORTH INDIVIDUALS AND CORPORATIONS IN THE ATLANTA AREA. IN JANUARY 2015, HE JOINED COHNREZNICK, LLP, A TOP 10 PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM, IN AUDIT & ASSURANCE WORKING PRIMARILY IN THE COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE AND HOUSING MARKET. PRIOR TO JOINING JENNINGS EXECUTIVE SEARCH, JUSTIN WORKED AT A FAST GROWING TECHNOLOGY COMPANY, SS&C TECHNOLOGIES, WHERE HE WORKED IN THE REAL ASSETS DEPARTMENT DOING FUND ADMINISTRATION.

JUSTIN GRADUATED WITH A BACHELORS OF SCIENCE DEGREE IN ACCOUNTANCY FROM OGLETHORPE UNIVERSITY.

Justin Jennings

EXECUTIVE RECRUITER

JUSTIN JENNINGS IS AN EXECUTIVE RECRUITER AT JENNINGS EXECUTIVE SEARCH. HE COMES FROM THE HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY WITH 15 YEARS OF MEDICAL SALES EXPERIENCE. HE ATTRIBUTES HIS SUCCESS IN SALES TO LISTENING AND LEARNING FROM HIS CUSTOMERS AND ENJOYS THE PROCESS OF SOLVING PROBLEMS. HE IS SKILLED AT DEVELOPING THE RIGHT ACTION PLAN FOR EACH OF HIS CLIENT’S UNIQUE NEEDS AND COMMITTED TO HELPING THEM CHOOSE THE BEST SOLUTION. JUSTIN HAS TAKEN HIS SPIRIT AND PASSION FOR SELLING TO THE WORLD OF RECRUITING. HE HAS A GOAL OF SURPASSING HIS CLIENT’S EXPECTATIONS AND ASSISTING THEM WITH TALENT ACQUISITION.

JUSTIN GRADUATED WITH A BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN MANAGEMENT FROM GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY. WHEN NOT AT WORK, YOU CAN FIND HIM ON HIS MOUNTAIN BIKE, THE GOLF COURSE, OR SKIING OUT WEST IN THE WINTERS.

Chip Locke

PRACTICE LEAD, TECHNOLOGY RECRUITING

CHIP LOCKE IS THE TECHNOLOGY RECRUITING PRACTICE LEAD FOR JENNINGS EXECUTIVE SEARCH. CHIP BRINGS 15 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN TECHNOLOGY AND RECRUITING INCLUDING HANDS-ON WORK AS A SOFTWARE DEVELOPER AND BIG 4 SYSTEMS CONSULTANT. HE IS A TRUSTED CIO ADVISOR WITH EXPERIENCE ACROSS INDUSTRY VERTICALS AND A DEEP UNDERSTANDING OF TECHNOLOGY PLATFORMS AND THE FUNCTIONAL AREAS OF DELIVERY THAT ENABLE BUSINESS OPERATIONS. HIS EXPERIENCE INCLUDES RECRUITING EXECUTIVES AND COLLABORATING ON STRATEGIC PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION OF IT ORGANIZATIONS.

HIS CLIENT SUCCESS STORIES CAN BE FOUND AT COMPANIES RANGING IN SIZE FROM STARTUP TO FORTUNE 500 ACROSS AVIATION, ENERGY, FINANCE, HEALTHCARE, TECH, MANUFACTURING, RETAIL AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS. CHIP GRADUATED FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA WITH A BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION DEGREE IN MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS.

Brian Gelfand

PARTNER

BRIAN GELFAND IS A PARTNER AT JENNINGS EXECUTIVE SEARCH. HE BEGAN HIS CAREER AT DELOITTE & TOUCHE IN AUDIT AND ENTERPRISE RISK SERVICES, WITH A FOCUS ON THE FINANCIAL SERVICES AND REAL ESTATE INDUSTRIES. AT DELOITTE, BRIAN GAINED VALUABLE CORPORATE EXPERIENCE WORKING WITH A MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR PUBLIC MORTGAGE SERVICING CORPORATION, AND A NOT-FOR-PROFIT FOUNDATION WITH OVER $10 BILLION IN ASSETS. BRIAN PASSED THE CPA EXAM BUT ULTIMATELY DECIDED ASSISTING CLIENTS WITH THEIR PEOPLE STRATEGIES WAS HIS PASSION.

BRIAN’S EDUCATION INCLUDES A MASTER OF ACCOUNTANCY FROM KENNESAW STATE UNIVERSITY AND A BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION IN ACCOUNTING FROM GEORGIA COLLEGE & STATE UNIVERSITY

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FOUNDER / MANAGING PARTNER

JON JENNINGS IS THE FOUNDER AND MANAGING PARTNER OF JENNINGS EXECUTIVE SEARCH. ESTABLISHED IN 2014, HIS VISION WAS TO SHAPE A FIRM ANCHORED IN TRANSPARENCY AND VALUE CREATION. OVER THE YEARS, JON HAS HAD THE DISTINCT OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE WITH AND LEARN FROM LEADING INDUSTRY EXECUTIVES, GLEANING INSIGHTS FROM THEIR EXPERIENCES AND COMBINING THIS KNOWLEDGE WITH THOROUGH RESEARCH. THIS HAS EQUIPPED HIM TO OFFER A DEEPER, MORE STRATEGIC PERSPECTIVE ON ORGANIZATIONAL DESIGN AND TALENT IDENTIFICATION. WITH AN INITIAL FOCUS IN FINANCE, THROUGH JON’S LEADERSHIP THE FIRM HAS PIVOTED INTO BROADER COMMERCIAL AND TECHNICAL STRATEGIES AS WELL AS PROFESSIONAL SERVICES.

TOGETHER WITH HIS EXPERIENCED TEAM OF EX-CONSULTANTS AND INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS, JON COLLABORATES WITH PREMIER CONSULTING FIRMS TO ENHANCE THEIR PRACTICES. SIMULTANEOUSLY, HE ASSISTS PRIVATE EQUITY GROUPS AND THEIR PORTFOLIO COMPANIES IN REFINING AND FORTIFYING THEIR COMMERCIAL AND FINANCIAL STRATEGIC OPERATIONS.

THE CULMINATION OF THESE EFFORTS IS A BOUTIQUE FIRM THAT INC.COM CELEBRATED AS ONE OF THE COUNTRY’S FASTEST-GROWING COMPANIES. BETWEEN 2019 AND 2022, THE COMPANY WITNESSED A STAGGERING GROWTH RATE OF NEARLY 600%.