Well, aren’t you looking pleased with yourself?
And rightly so.
You have in your midst a motivated, excited new hire that looks like all his Christmases have come at once.
You hired well, my friend. And you worked hard to welcome him into your company so that he knew from day one that he had made a great decision.
It feels great to have a new hire that you know is going to smash it. And throughout this series of ‘Seven Faces of Your New Hire’, we have looked at how it can go wrong. Oh, and it can go horribly wrong. So, in this final post of the series, let’s celebrate when it goes right.
We spend a lot of time dwelling on things that have not gone so well. But we don’t spend enough time reviewing what went well so we can repeat it.
Why is your new hire so excited?
If you are one of the managers with a smug look on their face right now, I would like to bet that you can check off a few of the points on the list below. And I am expecting a little fist pump with everyone you do. (Oh and don’t despair if you feel like you are watching, despondently, from the side line. There is something just for you at the end)
- You took great care in your hiring process. You really thought about what you wanted from your new hire. Not only in terms of experience but also behaviour and personality.
- You took a humane approach to the interview process. You tried to get to know the candidates rather than interrogating them. Maybe you even thought about more interesting ways to select the best candidate rather than the standard interview across the table
- You were honest about what the job was like at interview. You let them spend some time, without you there, with someone in the team to hear more about it.
- You checked if this was the right job for them. You took time to find out what they were really looking for in their next role to make sure this would be a good fit for them
- You considered them part of your team as soon as they accepted the offer. You reached out to your new hire before they started to check in with them, to see if they had any questions or concerns. You invited them out to meet the team before their first day to eliminate that element of awkwardness for them
- You had a plan. You had spent some time planning on how to get him up to speed on his job and tried to keep it interesting and varied.
- You had everything prepared. His laptop, equipment, access cards and login details were all ready when he arrived on day one
- You focused on ‘team’. You found ways to help him get to know his fellow team mates and recognised the importance of this support network for him.
- You told people about him. His colleagues and surrounding teams knew about his arrival and welcomed him warmly
- You planned his first day so that he was bursting with enthusiasm when he told his family about it over dinner that night.
- You told him what you wanted. You sat down and talked about what you expected of him in the first few months. He understood what success looked like for you, and how you would help him get there.
- You recognised the importance of ‘Why’ as well as ‘What’ and ‘How’. So your new hire now understands why his role is important to the organisation and what he can do to make it more successful.
- You helped him build his network. You set up meetings so that he could meet the key people from the departments he will be interacting with. By doing this, you helped him start building that all important network that will be vital to his success.
- You found time in your schedule to meet with him regularly to answer any questions. You made him feel valued.
In a nutshell, do you know the reason your new hire is excited about being here?
It is because you realise that your people are your number one asset. You treat them with respect. You give them the authority they need to do their job well. And you have their back.
Keep doing that.
But don’t despair if you are not feeling the excitement bubbling out of your new hires yet.
I have a plan!
And I am giving it to you completely free by simply clicking here. Yes, your free guide to creating an awesome onboarding plan that you can use for all your new hires coming in is just one click away.
What are you waiting for?
