>This is RecruiterGuy again to give you another quick preview of coming attractions.

You work too hard to find great talent. Failing to retain them is a shame – and not very cost effective.

In order for you to retain high impact talent, it is very important that you have your retention fundamentals down.

The first and certainly one of the most important rules is the Golden Rule – “Treat others as you would like them to treat you.” The stories that I hear from candidates make me shake my head. If managers simply followed the Golden Rule, retention would be much higher. The concept is not magic. The execution is everything.

Have you taken the time to develop a retention process? If so, have you documented it? Are all employees aware of it? Are you focused on retention? Have you developed a leadership development plan? Succession planning is very important today as our Baby Boomer generation is beginning to move into retirement. Therefore retaining Impact Performers is more important than ever.

You certainly have developed a member retention plan. It probably focuses on great member service and great member communication. Shouldn’t that be the basis of your employee retention plan?

As we spoke in a previous blog, the young adult is used to immediate gratification. Is that expectation always possible in the business world? Of course not. However you may be creative and give them the perception of immediate gratification. Here’s a suggestion – use the CUNA courses/certification completion as incentives. Most importantly, listen to their ideas and talk in terms of their interests.

We have much to discuss. See you next week!

RecruiterGuy is Bill Humbert, Principal of The Humbert Group, LLC and VP/President-elect of the Iowa Senior Human Resource Association. Check out his Web site at www.recruiterguy.com.

>Happy Thanksgiving YES CU bloggers and YES Summit Enthusiasts!

This is RecruiterGuy again just to give you a quick preview of coming attractions. Great news! My presentation is now down to 40 slides and dropping. However, coffee or Mountain Dew consumption is recommended so you can listen fast.

We spoke of the instant gratification that young adults expect today. In order for you to give them that experience on the recruiting side, it is very important that you have your recruitment fundamentals down.

Have you taken the time to document your recruitment process? If so, are there any extra steps that may be removed?

Generally businesses do a good to great job branding their service or products and really do not brand themselves as an employer. Would you prefer to brand yourself as an employer – or do you want public perception to do so? How do young adults in your area perceive you as an employer?

How quickly do you respond to candidate inquiries for employment? When you interview candidates, do you sell the services of your credit union and discuss the reason(s) you are passionate about working there? Remember that Every candidate is a potential member! How many candidates, who do not become employees, become members? That may be an interesting metric to watch.

Is your recruitment process smooth and efficient? Have you trained your hiring managers how to interview? If they haven’t been trained how to interview, how do you expect them to select the best candidate – and not the least threatening? Do you make hiring decisions quickly? Do you do reference checks? You better!

Recruitment is one of the most important areas of the credit union. With one hire you may be able to greatly expand your business – or a poor hire can wreck your reputation.

RecruiterGuy is Bill Humbert, Principal of The Humbert Group, LLC and VP/President-elect of the Iowa Senior Human Resource Association. Check out his Web site at www.recruiterguy.com.

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I have two questions that I hope the readers of this post will answer by leaving a quick comment.

1) What is the average age of a board member at your credit union (or a credit union that you know)?

2) What do you think/know is the average age of a board member in the credit union industry?

I am a firm believer that recruiting new members aged 18-30 to your credit union start at the board level. Even if attracting members of this demographic fall outside your credit unions strategic initiatives, it is still important to equip your credit union with the foundation to service the needs of this generation. When members of this demographic become potential candidates to join your credit union, will your credit union be able to meet their ever-increasing demands?

I admire those credit unions that have started their Gen-Y initiatives by improving their web presence, utilizing sites such as facebook.com and holding web-based contests on youtube.com. However, reaching out to this generation should not only fall on the shoulders of the marketing or small business development team.

I recently had the chance to interview my fellow board members at the USCCU regarding how my presence has impacted board dynamics. I’ll be discussing these findings more at the YES Summit but I’ll highlight a few important ones.

The worst fear of recruiting a Gen-Y board member according to my colleagues was not that the board member would lead to the destruction of the credit union mission and initiatives, but that the member would not participate or be afraid to speak up. I asked my board members (through email) if my comments at meetings were ever too blunt or offensive but they responded with a “certainly not” and even labeled them as “surprisingly straight forward and honest.”

On the other hand, a Gen-Y board member can add “youth, fresh perspectives, unexpected questions, energy, enthusiasm, and optimism” to your credit union. People that are young have a lot of time, are looking to make an impact, and are passionate about what they do. I have worked with the CEO, Marketing Staff, and IT team on various projects such as revamping our reward card programs and perfecting our web presence. However, my role on the board extends much further, as I also temporarily headed a compliance committee with members of our supervisory committee to monitor management’s treatment of regulations such as the BSA and Patriot Act.

I’m not saying that every 20-year-old board member is going to have the same impact and synergistic effects on your credit union as I have described. Recruiting is the key and there is a chance that a younger director may be lost, intimidated, or confused. However, if the worst case scenario is to have a director sit there every month and stay quiet, then I would have to say that the potential benefits outweigh the costs by a significant margin.

Please feel free to post any questions or comments that you have regarding my experiences as a board member. Board member dynamics and recruitment will make up the majority of my presentation at the YES Summit but I will be happy to add any topics that you guys may be interested in hearing about.

Justin Ho is a 20 year old board member at the USC Credit Union and also a Gen-Y/Marketing Consultant for Glatt Consulting, LLC.