There have been various studies conducted on how long it takes to fill a job vacancy, with highly skilled roles like engineer jobs taking as long as three weeks to fill. That’s three weeks of potentially slowed productivity and limited output, especially if your previous engineer has already moved on.

Here at BMS Performance, we are technical recruitment experts and help countless companies fill jobs in engineering industries, but the recruitment process can all be in vain if you miss the mark. Employees are no longer shy about leaving jobs they’re unhappy in. Engineers are in-demand, meaning if you don’t prove yourself as an employer within the first two weeks, you could be saying goodbye to your newest top talent as they leave for pastures new.

Avoid having to restart the recruitment process by ensuring you don’t make these mistakes.

Fail to prepare for their arrival

You only get one chance at a first impression, so make sure you put your best foot forward by preparing for their arrival. Engineers are highly talented individuals and, like any other employee, will expect their employer to fully prepare for their arrival. If they turn up and a key manager is absent, paperwork isn’t ready, they don’t have all their equipment, or if they have to set up their own desk, it’s understandable how they might develop a negative perception off the bat.

If you can’t be bothered to prepare for their arrival, how can they be sure you’ll be bothered about them as an employee moving forwards?

Provide an inadequate onboarding process

If you don’t want to lose your new employee in a few days, spend time investing in your onboarding process and job training programme. Yes, paperwork should be filled out and HR have a role to play, but if you want to retain your new hire, provide a structured, comprehensive technical training onboarding process that isn’t rushed. Doing so could increase your overall staff retention by 82%, and this is even more important in a candidate driven market like engineering.

Don’t have one-to-ones with them

You should be having regular one-to-ones with your employees as standard, but this is especially important within the first two weeks of a person joining your company. It will allow you to touch base and see how they’re fitting in and answer any questions or address any issues they might have.

Isolate them

If you want your new engineer to quit early, isolating them and making them feel unwelcome is a good way to go about it. Engineering is as much team-based as it is individual, so it’s vital for new recruits to receive a warm, positive welcome that reflects how vital a part of the team they are.

Demonstrate a negative working environment

It goes without saying that as soon as a new employee witnesses workplace toxicity, gossiping, bullying, harassment, micromanagement, or anything else unpleasant, they will make a run for it. Engineers are in demand and can easily find employment elsewhere, so make sure your company culture is pleasant – if not, you will lose your new talent and struggle to replace them as your company builds a negative reputation.

Assign them tasks different to the role they applied for

One of the leading reasons people quit their jobs early is because the role they end up doing is different to the one they applied for. They may realise this through training on the job, by undertaking tasks either above or below their skillset, or by realising there are no job progression opportunities as promised, making it an inviable long-term career. Make sure the job you’re advertising is true to what is on offer to ensure you’re making the right hiring decision.

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Get in touch with us now to discuss hiring a new engineer and how to keep them post-job offer.