Why 73% of early career hires quit within 6 months

Hey there,

Ford here with my weekly issue of The Progress Report.

First, THANK YOU to everyone who supported our Product Hunt launch last week! We hit #2 for the day and had 100+ companies try our new AI ranking tool. Your support was incredible.

Now, let's tackle something I keep hearing about: "We hire great fresh grads, but they keep leaving after 3-6 months. What are we doing wrong?"

Let's talk about that.

The $2.1 Million Problem

Here's a stat that should make every hiring manager pause: 73% of early career hires leave their first job within 6 months.

For a company hiring 10 early career people per year, that's roughly $150K in turnover costs annually. Scale that across the 400+ companies we work with, and you're looking at serious money.

But here's what's interesting – the problem isn't the hiring. It's what happens after day one.

What I Learned from Exit Interviews

Last month, I analyzed exit interview data from 50+ companies on our platform. The top reasons early career talent leave:

1. "I didn't know what success looked like" (41%)

2. "I felt like I was bothering people when I asked questions" (38%)

3. "The role wasn't what was described" (35%)

4. "No clear path for growth" (31%)

Notice what's NOT on this list? Salary. Work-life balance. Office perks.

The real issue is expectation management and support systems.

The Onboarding Framework That Fixes This

After seeing what works (and what doesn't), here's the framework our best customers use:

Week 1: Set the Foundation

• Day 1: Written role expectations document (not just a job description)

• Day 3: Assign a "question buddy" (not their manager)

• Day 5: First informal check-in with manager

Week 2-4: Build Confidence

• Small wins: Give them a project they can complete successfully

• Visibility: Have them present something to the team (builds belonging)

• Feedback: Weekly 15-minute feedback sessions (not performance reviews)

Month 2-3: Create Growth Path

• Skill mapping: What they're good at vs. what they want to develop

• Mentor assignment: Someone 1-2 levels above them

• 90-day goals: Clear, measurable objectives

The 48-Hour Rule

Here's something that works incredibly well: The 48-Hour Rule.

Within 48 hours of a new hire starting, send them this message:

"Hey [Name], quick question - what's one thing that's unclear or confusing so far? No wrong answers, just want to make sure you have what you need."

This simple message:

• Normalizes asking questions

• Shows you care about their success

• Catches problems before they become reasons to quit

Real Numbers from Our Customers

Companies using this framework see:

• 89% retention at 6 months (vs. 27% industry average)

• 40% faster time-to-productivity

• 3x higher internal referral rates from early career hires

What's Working Right Now

Quick intel from our platform:

• Remote onboarding: Companies doing virtual coffee chats in week 1 see 25% better retention

• Documentation: Teams with written processes retain 60% more early career hires

• Manager training: 30-minute "managing early career talent" training reduces turnover by 35%

One Thing to Try This Week

If you have any early career team members, ask them: "What's one thing I could do to better support your success here?"

You'll be surprised by how simple (and actionable) their answers are.

Behind the Scenes

This week I'm diving deep into improving our AI tool to help companies hire even better. The Product Hunt launch gave us incredible feedback, and we just landed our first subscription customer!

The vision? Make it seamless for companies to find early career candidates who don't just have the right skills, but will actually thrive in their specific environment.

Also, if you haven't tried our AI ranking tool yet, grab it here. The response has been incredible.

That's this week's Progress Report. Hit reply and tell me: What's the best or worst onboarding experience you've had (as a manager or employee)?

These stories help me understand what really matters in those crucial first 90 days.

Keep progressing,

Ford Coleman
Founder, Runway

P.S. Know someone struggling with early career hiring? Forward this their way – they'll thank you for it.