Four Secrets Successful Companies Know About Hiring That Creates Loyalty
In a world where there is little competitive advantage in price, product and processes, there is another “P” that companies who are on the cutting edge utilize to keep them ahead of the game: their People. By focusing on their People and using proven methods to earn and keep the loyalty of their employees, these companies have discovered that they are able to stay ahead of their competition, regardless of the business. This blog, the first in a series of “Loyalty Builders”, outlines the methods successful companies like Southwest Airlines use to build loyal employee cultures
It starts with hiring. You’ve heard the phrase “hire for attitude, train for skill”. What does it really mean? When a job needs to be filled quickly, most people will be tempted to put a “warm body” in the position to eliminate the strain of the extra work on the rest of the team. This more often than not results in a bad hire, making your problem worse.
During my 15 years with Southwest Airlines, we lived by the concept of “hire for attitude, train for skill” and, as a result, had an excellent source of pre-qualified candidates. Just like Southwest Airlines, many successful companies know that the following considerations are important when hiring:
1) Identify the traits are you looking for in your employees. “Nice people” is not specific enough. Define “nice” by looking at your company’s mission statement and then saying, “We want people who have a good sense of humor, or are other versus me-oriented.” Then ask,” Why would we want those traits? What impact will that have on our business”? For example, if you hire someone who is other-oriented, they may be more apt to put themselves in the customer’s shoes or be better team players. If you hire someone who possesses a good sense of humor, they may be more apt to handle stressful situations better or create a more team-friendly environment. To determine what kinds of traits you are looking for in your organization, begin by reviewing your company’s mission statement and values.
2) Target your search efforts to find those people. Are you advertising in a way that “nice” people 
will be attracted to your company? Target your employment ads so they will appeal to the type of person you want to attract. Want someone with a good sense of humor? Make your ad humorous. Want someone with a caring attitude? Show that on your ad. Don’t overlook one of the most important sourcing channels, your own employees. Who better than they know what traits you need? Also, take some time to think about what people outside your organization think about your company as an employer. What “branding” image exists about your company? Walk into a grocery store or around your community with your company uniform or clothing with your company logo and see if anyone makes a comment. Ask people what they think, and then be prepared to act on what you hear. With a good employer branding image, your recruiting process is well on its way.
3) Interviewing the potential candidate. Your 
interview process should include the Human Resources department (if you have one), someone from the team the person will work with, and a supervisor or leader from that same team. These employees should have received basic interview training prior to being in the interview. This ensures the correct questions are asked and it also ensures a fair and equitable interview for the applicant. Target your questions to get to the traits you identified earlier. Use behavioral interviewing questions. For example, if you have identified humor as one of the traits you are seeking, try probing with the following: “Tell me about a time you used humor to defuse a difficult customer situation”. This makes the candidate think of a real scenario which they have experienced versus inventing a “what if”. Want to know if they are good team players? Use “Tell me about a time when you went above and beyond for one of your team members”. Once you have concluded the interview, make sure all parties involved in the interview review and discuss the interview and all are in agreement if that person is to be offered a job or not. Remember to always treat the applicant as a customer, no matter what. Many of your applicants probably are customers and you want to keep them as such.
4)The Job Offer. Someone gets to call this applicant and make the job offer. 
Employees never forget that moment. Do you remember where you were when you got the call for your current job? Phone calls are much better than letters because this not only gives the company the opportunity to convey their excitement about hiring the new employee, but it also gives the employee an opportunity to share in the excitement and ask questions. You want them to remember that moment and retain the momentum established from the onset.
This completes the first step toward creating a loyalty culture. Strive to keep the new hire excitement in all your employees.
Lorraine Grubbs is an author, speaker and business consultant working to help companies create "Happy Workplaces". Learn more about what she does at www.lorrainegrubbs.com
