Keeping the perfect candidate – how to make the right first impression for your new employee
Finding someone with the right mixture of talent, experience and team spirit for your role can be a journey in itself, but it doesn’t stop there. Once the offer is accepted, attention still needs to be paid to first impressions – and that goes for the candidate and for you, the employer.
It’s the companies that spend time on looking after their employees, and work on getting the first 6 months right that keep their staff long term. Here are a few recommendations for the seamless introduction of your new employee.
Provide all the relevant information
Despite thorough explanations at interview and at the point of a job offer, it’s important that the new employee is provided with a complete job description, as well as an induction or welcome pack. This should include things like dress code, working hours, rules for lunch, etc. When starting a new job, there’s nothing worse than feeling unprepared, so it’s important your new employee knows what’s expected of them in all areas of company life.
Ensure a warm welcome
Make sure all existing staff know the new employee by name, and are expecting their start date. Feeling welcomed is an integral part of a new employee feeling happy and settled in their role, so make sure the whole company make the effort to make them part of the team as quickly as possible.
Plan ahead
Make sure that there are members of staff on hand to complete any training and answer questions during the new employee’s first few weeks, so that they aren’t left floundering on their own. Plan and structure their first week at least, and create an induction checklist to make sure each area of the role and company life are covered within it.
Regular meetings to assess settling in
Checking in with your new employee regularly is absolutely vital during the induction process. This is to assess their progress, but also answer any questions and iron out any issues early on. It also makes the employee feel valued and supported, something that can make all the difference to their introduction to the company.
Ask for feedback
Feedback from your new employee will help you hone the induction process in the future. Was there any information you missed? Was there anything you could have done to help the employee feel more settled? Addressing these comments and bearing them in mind for next time will help you create a thorough process for your next new recruit.
A proper welcome and induction process can help you retain employees and create a positive work culture right from the very first day. It’s one thing to shake hands with a talented new member of staff when they accept their job offer, but it’s another to make sure the right first impression is made when they start.
