First Impressions Matter
Yes, of course first impressions matter. That’s a pretty commonly accepted statement. But have you thought about how much they matter when onboarding a new teammate? You could argue with me that the real first impression that a candidate has of us is when they read our job ad or become aware of our existence as an employer. And their impression of us as employers continues to develop throughout the recruitment process. True.
But I want to talk about the impression we make on their very first day as a part of our team.
Has this ever been you? It’s our new hire’s first day. We don’t have their email set up or computer ready. Maybe we are printing off their new hire paperwork while they sit in our office. Maybe we don’t have a desk for them to use. Maybe we have absolutely no plan for the tasks they will start off with or who will train them. Maybe their offer was never put in writing and there is a dispute about what the agreed upon starting wage will be. The first day is a little (or a lot) disorganized. The new hire goes home feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, and second guessing her decision to come to work for us.
But let’s imagine a different reality: Our new hire walks in the door, and you are ready for her. You greet “Susan” warmly and show her to a conference room complete with an organized stack of paperwork, a copy of your handbook, a bottle of water, some company logo gear for them to take home. You start by telling Susan how excited you are to have her on the team. You review the plan for the day (yes, you actually took time to make one). Then you systematically begin the process of introducing her to your company, your story, and the role she will play in helping take your team to the next level. Her technology, tools, passwords, desk, etc., are all ready for her. After the intro discussion and paperwork, you introduce Susan to a teammate, who reviews with her what she will learn and the plan for training over the next few weeks. This teammate will serve as Susan’s mentor and her “go to” person for any questions along the way. It’s break time, and you’ve had lunch ordered in so everyone can get to know their new teammate. But for your new hire, it is several familiar faces because you involved many of them in the interview process. After lunch the training continues. By the end of the day, you thank Susan and let her know the plan for tomorrow.
Susan leaves the office with a big smile on her face. When she arrives home that evening, she tells her spouse and kids what a great first day it was. Susan says with confidence, “I’m so thankful that I took this position. I am going to love this new job and my new team!”
Next time you are onboarding a new teammate, take some time to be intentional in shaping what that day will look like. Here are a few ideas:
Have a plan. Sit down with a couple of teammates and work out a plan for the first day-week-month of this person’s integration into your team. Make a checklist of things that need to be prepared—technology, accounts, paperwork, pens, binders, tools, etc. Think through anything that should be communicated BEFORE the first day (like “Don’t bring lunch; we’ll order something” or what to wear). Have a plan. Be prepared!
Assign a mentor. Which one or two teammates are going to come alongside this person and make sure that they get off to a great start? Who has the time, knowledge, positive attitude, and skills to be a good resource and trainer for our new hire. Helpful hint: Sometimes your top performing employee is your worst trainer.
Best day ever. What would it look like for your new hire to go home at the end of the first day or at the end of the first week and say, “This is going to be an AWESOME job! I am going to LOVE working for this company!” What will take them from nervous new hire to raving fan? How can you bring your company values into the onboarding process?
If we want our new hires to invest the best of themselves into our company, we need to invest the best of ourselves into them. None of this is rocket science. It just takes intentionality and some time. But it will be well worth the investment!