Expectations gap in hiring hinders employee engagement 

The labor market is incredibly tight. In my hometown, the unemployment rate is 1.9% which means that everyone who wants a job already has one. 

You probably feel the effects every day. The shrinking pool of qualified job candidates puts added pressure on your hiring and onboarding process. 

In times like this, it’s tempting to hire just to hire. To fill a spot with “anybody who can fog a mirror.” 

So, what I’m going to say may seem out of touch with your reality.  

Here’s the most important step in the hiring process: Talking applicants out of the job. 

That’s right. Not selling them ON the job. Talking them OUT of it. This is where you must be 100 percent transparent about what life is like on your team: 

  • Do the hours differ from the typical 9-5? 
  • Is the onboarding process still being developed? 
  • Do they have to figure some things out by themselves? 
  • Are results expected quickly? 
  • Will there be significant overnight travel? 

Be clear about all these things up front so applicants know what they’re signing up for. That’s the only way to eliminate the expectations gap – where the job isn’t what they expected it to be. That gap kills employee engagement. 

I was recently walking through an employee survey with a senior executive. I could see the impact of the expectations gap all through the survey. For the few people who were unhappy, it was clear that they had been sold on their jobs rather than talked out of them. 

Does that seem crazy to you in this tight labor market? 

Here’s what I would say in response: Who you allow on your team is among the biggest decisions you make. A great hire can make all the difference. A bad one can cost you thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours you don’t have. 

You can’t afford to have that expectations gap slowing you down. Talk them out of the job. 

Let’s talk about how you can close your expectations gap and increase employee engagement. Drop me an email or book a time to chat.  

Talk soon.