Hiring for Retention: Stop the Turnover Before It Starts

Description

Turnover can feel unpredictable, but hiring and early-tenure data often reveal patterns that help explain why employees leave. In this session, attendees will learn how misalignment can begin before an employee’s first day through unclear job expectations, overreliance on resumes, and inconsistent interviews. We’ll examine traits commonly associated with retention, including dependability, stress tolerance, adaptability, and conscientiousness, and explain why the traits that matter most vary by role and organization. Attendees will also explore practical ways to reduce misalignment through realistic job previews, structured interviews, clear job descriptions, and assessments. They’ll leave with a framework for identifying the root causes of turnover and strengthening the hiring process around long-term fit.

Key Takeaways / Outcomes

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

• Identify common turnover patterns and use hiring and early-tenure data to uncover potential root causes.
• Explain how misalignment during recruiting and hiring can contribute to early employee turnover.
• Recognize traits commonly associated with retention, including dependability, stress tolerance, adaptability, and conscientiousness. 
• Evaluate where realistic job previews, structured interviews, clear job descriptions, and assessments can reduce misalignment in the hiring process. 
• Develop a practical framework for aligning hiring criteria with the demands of a specific role and organization.

HRCI CEU/SHRM PDC Offered

About the Facilitators

Dr. Craig Ellis

Dr. Craig Ellis is Head of I/O Psychology at HighMatch. He has more than 10 years of experience in pre-employment testing, psychometrics, assessment science, and organizational consulting. Craig has developed assessments that evaluate person-organization fit, created and validated employee selection systems, and helped organizations build competency-based succession plans, executive assessments, and leadership coaching programs. He holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Troy University and both a master’s and Ph.D. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Auburn University. 

Sarah Eck

Sarah Eck is Chief Revenue Officer at HighMatch, where she leads the company’s sales, customer success, and growth strategy. She has more than 15 years of experience helping organizations evaluate technology, improve their hiring processes, and build stronger talent strategies. Before joining HighMatch in 2017, Sarah held sales and customer success roles at Salesforce and CareerBuilder. She earned a bachelor’s degree in communication from Virginia Tech.