AINsight: Retention Starts with the Right Match | Aviation International News

AINsight: Retention Starts with the Right Match

Hiring starts with hope, but the key is to make the match last

“Navigating Careers & Culture” session at NBAA-BACE 2025. — Sheryl A. Barden, Jay Orwin, Steve Saflin, and Jennifer E. Pickerel speak at the “Navigating Careers & Culture” session at NBAA-BACE 2025.

By Sheryl Barden • AIN Contributor

October 24, 2025

Every hiring match begins with hope. Employers hope to find the right person who will strengthen their team. Candidates hope to find a place where they can grow and belong. Yet too often, that shared hope turns transactional instead of personal.

After nearly 25 years as a career “matchmaker,” I’ve learned that hiring isn’t about résumés or job titles. It’s about alignment between values, communication, and expectations. When that alignment is missing, even the most qualified hire won’t stay long.

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Sheryl Barden

AIN Contributor

About the author

Sheryl Barden, CAM, is CEO of Aviation Personnel International, the longest-running recruiting and HR consulting firm dedicated to business aviation. A recognized thought leader on workforce and leadership issues, she is an NBAA CAM Fellow, past member of NBAA’s board of directors and advisory council, and recipient of NBAA’s John P. “Jack” Doswell Award for lifetime achievement and service to business aviation.

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