In today’s hyper-competitive labor market, finding and keeping the right people often feels like an uphill climb. One simple but powerful concept can help reframe how organizations approach the entire talent lifecycle: the 50% rule.
What is the 50% Rule?
The 50% rule suggests that success in sourcing, recruiting, and retaining top talent depends just as much on what happens after the hire as it does on what happens before it. In other words, if you spend 50% of your effort attracting candidates, you must invest an equal 50% in developing, engaging, and retaining them.
Too many companies focus almost exclusively on the front end of talent acquisition — building pipelines, perfecting job specs, and refining interviews — only to lose momentum once the offer is signed.
Sourcing and Recruiting: The First 50%
Effective recruiting begins with a clear understanding of the business strategy and the competencies that drive success. It’s not just about filling roles quickly; it’s about aligning talent with long-term organizational goals. This means creating data-informed sourcing strategies, leveraging employer branding, and using outreach methods to reach both active and passive candidates.
But even the best recruiting process will fall short if it ends with onboarding.
Retention and Development: The Second 50%
The other half of the equation lies in what you do once the employee arrives. Engagement, leadership development, communication, and performance feedback are critical components of retention. Employees who experience growth, trust leadership, and feel connected to a purpose are far more likely to stay and thrive.
Companies that fail to invest in this “second 50%” often find themselves stuck in a costly cycle of re-recruiting — paying twice for the same seat.
How CBIZ Talent Solutions Applies the 50% Rule
At CBIZ Talent Solutions, we help organizations strike the right balance between recruitment excellence and retention strategy. Our work doesn’t stop when a candidate accepts an offer. We collaborate with clients to ensure cultural alignment, effective leadership onboarding, and competitive compensation benchmarking — all critical pieces of the retention puzzle.
Through our integrated services in executive search, compensation consulting, and leadership development, we help clients build a full talent ecosystem that attracts, develops, and retains top performers.
Hiring is Not the Finish Line
The 50% rule reminds us that hiring is not the finish line; it’s a midpoint. Sustainable success comes from investing equally in finding the right people and creating an environment where they can grow, belong, and lead.
CBIZ helps clients do exactly that — build teams that stay, succeed, and strengthen the organization over time.
Reach out to a Talent Solutions Specialist today.
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