Hiring a new employee is time consuming and expensive. So it’s important to get it right the first time, unless you don’t mind doing it over and over again. To avoid a hiring “ground hogs day” scenario of your own, consider these tips before you make any offers.

Think Position First, Person Second

While it’s nice to find someone who’s great to be around, take a good look at the demands of the position before choosing a candidate. If it’s heavy on the accounting side and light on personal interaction, for instance, would someone who thrives on personal interaction be the right fit for this position? Probably not.

While there are a lot of likeable people in the job pool, hiring one of them only works if the demands of the position fit the personal style of the individual. Someone who thrives on interaction might feel like a fish out of water in a position that demands a lot of solo number crunching, and likely head for the door once this reality strikes.

Create Your Own Personnel Pipelines

Job boards and online sites have their merits. However, if you’re looking to find candidates you can trust to stay for the long run, it pays to develop pipelines filled with applicants that have your DNA stamp on them. Work with area colleges or high schools to create internships that enthuse and empower students who want to work for you.

Think of your business as the major leagues, then consider sources for prospects to develop. If you run an auto dealership, work with high schools and technical colleges in your area to locate students who dream of working on cars in your service area. Use these same sources for sales oriented students who long for experience selling cars on commission or marketing your dealership. You might even find someone with a knack for websites who can maintain your online auto inventory.

Do More Than Just Interview

When a candidate comes to you, don’t just spend the obligatory 30 minutes at your desk asking the same tired questions. Structure an interview process that allows key managers to spend some time asking–and answering–questions. Get creative with the process by inviting the candidate to come prepared for a reverse interview. Then he or she can ask as many questions necessary to determine if the position is a good fit.

Have An Exit Strategy

Lastly, if a new hire announces intentions to leave, be prepared with two different responses. First, pre-think a counter offer that you can make immediately. More often than not, the issue is money, and being prepared with an offer for someone you really value is a smart first step toward keeping him or her. If the issue isn’t money, then be prepared with an extensive exit survey and ask that the candidate be as frank and complete as possible while filling it out. This way, you can improve with the following candidates.

If you want to hire for retention, it helps to be prepared and open-minded. Like a groundhog emerging for a glimpse of the outside world, it pays to be ready for anything.