Top 7 do’s and don’ts
How to best approach your first 100 days...
For the manager who's made the hire, and the new starter in the role - the first 100 days presents a make or break challenge in which stakes are at their highest.
I'm sharing with you in this article 7 Do's and 7 Don'ts...
And at the end 20 tips regarding setting social media ground rules, what's acceptable and unacceptable behaviour.
7 Do's and 7 Don'ts for you to consider acting on!
You should agree, what are priorities and positive steps and any off-limits actions.
You need a checklist and to make key actionable areas time-bound.
2. Do get the basics right.
They’ll need a PC/laptop, email address, apps set up, logins etc
Plus, the HR stuff, payroll, pensions & benefits, insurance etc
3. Do appreciate the devil in the detail.
Develop a list of tasks they need to be able to perform and prioritise them. Do role-plays or Q&As. How many degrees of detail can your new hire handle before they say “I don’t know”?
Bridge any knowledge gaps. Keep the emphasis on being constructive and positive.
4. Do leverage your selection process insights.
During the interview process, what strengths and shortcomings did you identify?
What do you need to do to maximise their chances of success and mitigate any risk?
5. Do address skills gaps and developmental needs.
What’s your new hires preferred learning method?
How can you best address gaps and how will you measure success in doing so?
6. Do encourage and help them build relationships.
There’s an expression “Hired for talent, fired for not fitting in”.
With the right people network, your new hire will benefit from your team’s support and be better placed to excel.
7. Do include other team members to assist in onboarding.
It’s practical and emotionally supportive.
You want to foster peer support for your new hire and to make them feel welcome and included.
Now 7 don'ts for you to think about!
You can’t turn back the clock. So if your hire is struggling in an area, talk with them about it work with them to address it.
Be mindful to do so in a constructive, positive and supportive manner.
2. Don’t assume your expectations of what’s required is the same as that of the candidate.
Ask the hirer what’s expected, and the hire the same question – you will quite likely get two differing answers.
Consider aligning on the 3 most important actions in order of priority and then the next 7.
3. Don’t manage everyone in the same way.
If you work for a big company, your HR dept will have all sorts of recruitment and people development resources.
Otherwise… the best managers manage people individually according to their Strengths! If you haven’t already done so you may wish to consider using the StrengthsFinder 2.0 test and system, both for your existing people and your new hires.?You can buy the book complete with an access code (c $20 per person Amazon) enabling you or the user to take an online test. It’ easy, fun, engaging and low cost.
4. Don’t expect them to succeed at the first attempt.
They may not understand some things, they may forget stuff that you’ve told them because everything is new, there’s a lot to take in.
Be open with them, it’s OK for them to ask more than once.
5. Don’t forget to fix regular reviews.
Daily, weekly, monthly? Your choice, your definition it’ll depend on the seniority and complexity of the role.
Onboarding… when does it end? Think beyond 100 days… Probably when they’re competent, integrated, successful and respected.
6. Don’t Overload and give them distractions.
A common error is to involve people with things they need not be involved with.
Be careful not to distract them from doing what they need to do.
7. Don’t Overlook the need for emotional support.
Starting a new job is daunting. You need to make your new hire feel included, feel welcome, feel comfortable asking for help and feel appreciated.
Near the end of their first day, check-in with them to see how their day went.
You’re exposed when your new hires start in role. With your existing team members, you've probably got a measure on their behaviour but what about your new hires?
How your employees present themselves on social media shapes your company brand.
There’s a grey area here! What right do they have to say things that could compromise your brand? And vice versa about what they do or don’t do on social?
Consider fixing a team meeting in which you can all brainstorm ideas, discuss what’s acceptable and what’s questionable behaviour.
In this way, you can reach a consensus without being overly dictatorial.
Twenty social media ground rules and tips to help you:
1)????Have they updated their LinkedIn profile?
Are they showcasing your company or that of their previous employer?
2)????Out of date contact info…
Does their LinkedIn profile show their new work email address with you and URL? It’s clumsy and complacent when profiles show those of their former employer.
3)????Two out of five profiles have errors…
Does your new hire’s profile compromise or complement your company brand? Have you browsed your new hires profile for any typing and grammatical errors?
4)????An appropriate, professional and positive photo.
LinkedIn’s a professional platform, not a social one and your employees' photos should reflect this. Ideally looking at the camera, smiling and that suggests they’re approachable, confident, positive and energised. Fit for purpose, context-sensitive aligning with the nature of the industry, occupational type and seniority.
5)????A purposeful and relevant headline.
Having a headline that tells people why they should be visiting their profile or how they add value.
6)?????What your company does? Perhaps a 2-line description. Is it clear to the reader what your company does?
7)????Customer focused.
The about section should be one that’s customer-focused. Job titles can be meaningless and confusing. Is it clear to the reader what they do, and what they stand for? Perhaps a 3-5 line description…?stating how they add value to your customers, society, your company or employees.
8)????Sometimes brief is best.
If someone’s not in a customer-facing role and rarely uses LinkedIn/social, they may only need the briefest of profiles.
9)????“All opinions expressed are my own.”
Consider asking your employees to use a self-protective and company protective disclosure.
10) Connecting in micro-moments and hyper-relevance.
Determine when and how to use social media channels for research and to develop a better customer understanding.
11) The good, the bad and the ugly.
What tools will they use, how will they use them and how familiar are they with them? You need to be clear about what’s unacceptable behaviour?
12) Life beyond LinkedIn…
What about other channels… WhatsApp, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok…..
13) Boosting your brand reach and visibility.
Encourage your people to follow your official accounts, to comment on, like, share posts articles, stories, events etc
14) Keep your messaging consistent.
You’ll already have various promotional materials, in particular your company website, from which your people can copy and paste content, and messaging.
15) Big initiatives need approval.
Publishing of articles, video clips, white papers etc probably need approval first.
16)??Is it worth it? Publishing and commenting on social media can be costly and time-consuming. You need to track effectiveness.
17) Getting lost in it?
It’s very easy for people to become overly consumed on social, and get distracted from their day job!
18) Diversity and inclusion.
You don’t want your people to alienate them or your company from customers and influencers with a silly or irresponsible comment. Be clear about what’s off-limits? Use of expletives, comments of a political or sexist nature etc.
19) Harassment.
There’s no place for harassment. Ask your employees to report any.
20) Google.
Some people would say that if you were to google people it might be deemed intrusive. If you’re uncomfortable doing so why not simply ask people to google themselves to identify and take action on anything they may deem compromising.
Robert Tearle Consulting is a headhunting firm. Our clients are SaaS/digital/tech vendors. Positions we headhunt into include GM, Sales, Consulting, Marketing & Operations.
Impacting business operations and growing revenue through headhunting.
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