You have already worked with your dedicated recruiter during the hiring process—identifying and testing for must-haves and building a diverse pool of candidates.
As a hiring manager, you have the most important role in a candidate’s success. No matter how busy you are, it is worth taking the time to think through their onboarding experience.
Here are some tips for effective onboarding:
Align expectations.
Nothing will matter more for the success of your new hire than your alignment on what they are expected to contribute and accomplish in their role. Help them understand the full scope of their role. Ask your new hire to propose a few goals of their own. Now is a great time to reflect on your preferences, traditions, and requirements regarding communication, relationship-building, and the work itself.
Let them learn and do.
No matter how qualified they are, your new hire (or newly promoted staff person) will need development to excel in their role. Consider how you will support them through an array of learning opportunities. We would recommend frontloading learning and relationship-building as you ramp up the doing. Be intentional about pacing and sequencing.
Instill good habits.
You only get one chance to start a new relationship. The best part of a new management relationship is that you can normalize the use of tools, practices, and processes from the beginning. Use your onboarding process to create and reinforce good management habits. Scheduling regular checks in’s is a great practice. Share praise and constructive feedback in your check-ins and do debriefs. The more you can normalize feedback from the beginning, the better you’ll be set up for your long-term relationship.
Let them know that they belong.
The more welcomed, respected, and valued people feel, the more empowered they are to contribute their best. As the manager, you have a unique opportunity and responsibility to cultivate and maintain a sense of belonging for your new staff member. In their first few months, your new employee will need your help to establish connections across the organization and with key client relationships.
