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The top resolution that employees make each year is to find a new job. Managers need to develop their employees’ leadership skills, invite their input, demonstrate continued interest in their careers and recognize their contribution. Fewer employees would be determined to find new jobs each year if these tactics were commonly employed. Retaining talented employees has become a higher priority in an improving job market. Currently, 87 percent of employers are worried about losing key employees, with 58 percent moderately concerned and 29 percent very concerned, according to a survey by OI Partners, a global coaching and leadership
development and consulting firm.

Here are some recommendations on what employers can do to help retain top talent:
• Coach employees in how to become more influential and persuasive. Explain the implications of their actions and decisions on internal politics and help them become savvier. Provide training and guidance in how to craft their
messages to meet the needs of others. Managers are too often frustrated by
employees’ inability to work effectively through others. Teach them how to win over people in appropriate ways.

• Develop employees’ leadership skills. Use challenging “stretch assignments” that motivate workers, require them to learn new skills and build coalitions. Look for opportunities where members of your team can step into leadership roles. That may mean you have to be in the background more and become comfortable with sharing the spotlight.

• Improve your feedback and increase their accountability. Most managers are inconsistent in communicating expectations and holding people accountable. Be clear about your expectations and give timely feedback to your team when they do a good job or when they miss the mark.

• Tap into employees’ wealth of knowledge and experience. Encourage employees at all levels to suggest, create and communicate new ideas based on the direct experience of those on the line. Personally ask people for their input to get the best recommendations.

• Counsel survivors of layoffs and demonstrate continued interest in their careers. Survivors of layoffs are frequently stressed by the extra work and worried about whether they too, might lose their jobs. Reassure remaining employees that they are appreciated for the additional work they’re doing. Increase the frequency of discussions about their careers with one-on-one meetings with their managers.

• Recognize and reward contributions. Managers should be certain they recognize employee contributions, both big and small. A compliment from the boss can be as effective as a monetary reward. Many employees feel that their managers do not spend enough time thanking them for a job well done but are too quick to criticize them for making mistakes. In a recovering economy, there are going to be more and more companies trying to find the top talent that’s out there. Make sure to hang on to yours.

Don’t wait until it’s too late to make some changes around your office.

Over the years, hiring managers have seen every hiring, interviewing, résumé, cover letter and negotiation mistake there is. Here are some examples of the most common mistakes – and some of them might surprise you.

1. You don’t keep your options open. Candidates tend to think that if they intervie
w for a job they will get an offer, so they do not apply and interview for multiple positions. They wait until one plays out completely, putting their job search on hold until knowing for sure they didn’t get the offer.

2. You turn up your nose at job descriptions. Candidates are reluctant to apply for a position unless the job sounds like their ‘dream job’ or they have all qualifications listed. On the flip side, experienced candidates won’t even read a job description if the listed title is of a lower rank than what they want. They base decisions about applying on the job description or title alone.

3. You haven’t perfected the thank-you note. A personal, handwritten thank you note is the best. Don’t be too verbose with a thank-you note after an interview. Sending out a version of “War and Peace” can come across as desperate and needy for a job. However, sending a one or two sentence thank-you note comes across as flippant, not well thought-out and potentially shows indifference regarding the job to the employer.

4. You don’t check your references. Always give out references that you’ve pre-screened. Let the reference person know you are giving their name out for your reference. Also, make sure they’re predominantly managers. An occasional colleague is okay, but contemporaries and friends really don’t carry that much weight in helping you land a position.

5. You discount temporary positions. Many employers coming out of a recession want to hire on a temporary or temp- to hire- basis. Not only will the temporary position pay some bills, think of it as an audition for a potential full-time position, or at least a way to get a good reference for another position.

6. You have a bad attitude. Poor attitudes come through in telephone calls and in interviews. If you are not positive, why would a potential employer want to hire you? Even if the interviewer can’t see you, sit up straight and smile while on a phone interview. It will make a difference in the way you sound to the interviewer.

7. You include too much work history. Many job seekers think that they have to take their work history back to their first job out of college. All that is needed is the last 10-15 years of your work history.

8. You use your work email address on your résumé. Some people do not regularly check their personal email, so they use their employers’ email instead. This sends a negative message to potential employers that the job seekers will not hesitate to use their equipment for personal use.

9. You are overzealous with your follow-up. Be determined without being pushy. Calling or emailing to ask about the status of your résumé or interview can be a double-edged sword. A tactful follow up can place you at the top of the list with the hiring manager, while incessant calling or emailing can push your résumé to the bottom.

10. You don’t search for yourself on the Internet. Your would-be employer is probably going to look you up online, so you should know what is out there. Clean up what you can, check your privacy settings on social networks and if it is something you can’t get down off the internet, you may want to consider talking to the company about it.

11. You think it’s about you. It is not about you and your need for a job -- it is about the prospective employer and their need to run a successful business and make money. Many applicants mistakenly believe they will be an appealing candidate if they explain they will accept any type of job offer at any salary. Even if this is true, candidates need to craft a different message, focusing on how they can benefit the employer.