Hiring follow-through
by Miki SaxonIn hiring, as in any endeavor, follow-through is everything. Yesterday’s post talked about defusing the three most common post-acceptance bombs, and a previous one gave you doable approaches to outboarding, but you can still drop the hiring ball after the fact if you stop the day she starts.
During those first days, as she gets her feet on the ground, take time to go over the outboarding information to get some feel of where her knowledge is now and what are the biggest gaps, the ones that will slow her productivity. Be careful to make this a positive experience—you don’t want her to feel like it’s finals week.
Once you have a sense of where your new hire is, ask her what she needs to hit the ground running, really listen to her—most people know where they are weak, what they need to ramp up and they want to make it happen; they know they are happiest when they are super-productive, able to make a real contribution, learn, and get ahead—then follow-through and get it for her.
In the days that follow, provide continual, constructive feedback, so she knows exactly how she’s doing.
That’s especially true for actions or behavior that are, or could be, a problem; you want to address them immediately. It’s far easier to “nip it in the bud” on a friendly, informal basis than to let it escalate into a major situation.
You’ve invested a lot of time and money in acquiring every one of your employees and building a world-class team, group, department, or company. It’s just plain stupid to ignore, even for one day, anything that will damage those efforts. Early intervention is key to avoiding human-based problems, and that is your real job as a manager.
Be the manager who does all this and your reviews will soar, your reputation will spread in your industry and people will stand in line to work for you.
