Remember your first job? If it was anything like my experience at a startup in the late 90s, it was exciting, chaotic, full of learning opportunities (mostly born out of mistakes or confusion), and honestly, a tad daunting. What an exciting time in life. In some ways, a first professional job is a rite of passage that shapes your career and life.
That first job is a big deal, and as a person who has been at it for over 25 years, I often forget what it felt like to be thrust out of party mode and into professional mode. I’ve worked with several people in their first job during my career — of course, some show up on day one and make me feel hopeful about the future, while others…not so much. But that’s not always a reflection on those people as much as it’s about how leaders and managers often don’t take an empathetic approach and seize the opportunity to meet young talent where they are to mold them into extraordinary leaders from day one.
Maybe it’s a lack of time or empathy, but I think many large and small companies get it wrong. If you want to hire early-career talent because that’s what your organization can afford, you better prepare to build the next wave of your industry and company into strategic leaders. And it’s not just about learning the tools and processes; it’s about helping inexperienced folks become better communicators, collaborators, and leaders.
One of the best ways to help new talent thrive on your team is to ceremoniously welcome them to the team, not only with light fanfare and team introductions but by indoctrinating them into the routines and practices of your unique company and team. Chances are, their experience before accepting a first job has mainly been academic, with a touch of responsibility working in retail, food service, or some other industry that can certainly put one through the wringer but only provides a touch of relevant experience.
The first few weeks of a new, junior hire’s tenure is your moment as a manager to set the bar for that person — in their new role and long-term career. That’s right, good onboarding can be an incredible way to set someone up for long-term career success. Developing an employee-specific onboarding plan that incorporates a mix of training sessions, meet and greets with their team and people they’ll eventually collaborate with shadowing, and frequent check-ins are critical to helping new employees at any level settle in.
Training isn’t just about the tools and tactics. Start with table stakes: define how you want them to show up to work every day — working hours, policies about communicating internally, where to find things, etc. The stuff that’s second nature to you is the stuff these folks don’t even know exists — mainly administrative stuff like time tracking, scopes, resourcing, and budgets (for example, what profitability means in an agency). While you’re talking about the basics, offer guidance for personal productivity. You’d be surprised how many people do not create simple to-do lists and wonder why their world is falling apart. Teaching basic productivity practices creates accountable, dependable coworkers.
Don’t forget to talk about escalation and how and when to seek help. Showing new employees that challenges and questions are expected rather than looked down upon can change someone’s perspective about looking or feeling “dumb.” The best thing you can do is leave your door open, proactively check in, inspire curiosity, and encourage questions.
Offering additional, outside resources like books, videos, blogs, or consistent coaching sessions can reinforce your onboarding and allow space for that person to explore the possibilities their new role presents them. At the same time, showing your appreciation for continual learning instills a value of growth in people who have a lot to learn. You’ll find that your future leaders are the folks who take you up on every opportunity, click every link, and ask for more. Finding those signs early will guide you in assisting in their rise to stardom — one of the benefits of outstanding leadership.
Of course, you’ll want to introduce goals. If you can work in a plan that establishes a timeframe for when they’ll be 100% in work mode, you’re setting a goal and an expectation that will motivate someone to learn, ask questions, and immediately show you how much help they might need. That, in turn, will lead to more productive conversations about preparedness for new projects.
Keep perspective and be patient because not everyone will ramp up and understand things how you’d hoped they would — and that’s ok. Remember that the experience of a new job and everything that comes with it can be jarring, and it’s a lot to understand, let alone remember: people, roles, responsibilities, communication styles, culture, processes, tools, routines, the list goes on and on.
Give it time, allow them to gain perspective on your entire organization, and settle into their new team and set of responsibilities at a pace that feels right for you and them. That will help you build mutual trust at the most critical point in that person’s entire career. In the end, you’ll look back on that onboarding period and be happy that you put the effort in to create a warm and welcoming yet highly productive program to help that person be successful because they’ll be prepared to take on new work quickly, and their natural talent will shine.
We love working with new talent and have helped several companies hire, onboard, train, and coach folks into their first career roles. Taking the time to plan all of this helps new folks feel valued and welcome and makes them feel that they’re ready to take on their work and career. Contact us if you need help developing an onboarding program for your new hires.
