Yesterday, we explained why rushing into a new-hire decision can be a big mistake. Today, we’ll look at a valuable tool that many employers don’t take advantage of: the introductory period.
Take Advantage of the Introductory Period
Almost every employer declares the first 90 days of employment as its time to evaluate whether the employee is right for the job and the company. It’s better to call it an “introductory period” rather than the traditional “probationary period,” since the latter makes it sound like the new employee gains a vested right at the end.
Every employee puts his or her best foot forward during the first 90 days. It doesn’t get any better than the honeymoon. If the person can’t make it to work on time or get along with coworkers at the beginning, he or she never will.
Now, you should expect that she may take some time to acclimate to your ways of doing things — so allow time for substantive learning. But basic job attributes (like punctuality and work ethic) should be there from the get-go.
Don’t Get Emotionally Attached To a Bad Hiring Decision
Few employers actually use the introductory period. Many ignore the early warning signs and hope that the employee will improve.
Once you’ve hired a new employee, there’s a natural tendency to feel invested in the person. No one wants to admit they made a mistake in hiring or go back to the beginning of the hiring process to start over again. Get over yourself. If you make a mistake, admit defeat and move on. Hire someone else.
Interviewing, Hiring, and Onboarding: Best Practices for Landing Cream-of-the-Crop Employees (and Weeding Out the Duds) 2010 ended with more U.S. employers adding workers than cutting jobs, surveys confirmed — a huge reversal from 2009, when organizations were shedding positions left and right. And, for many HR professionals in California, that’s meant a buyer’s market in 2011 as they’ve searched for the very best fits.
No matter how the economy is doing, though, California employers still face the same daunting challenges with new hires — from sorting through the deluge of applications and vetting resumes to asking legally permitted interview questions and getting workers started off on the right foot. And no matter how careful you are, you’re still rolling the dice: Forty-six percent of new hires leave their jobs by the end of the first year.
Join us tomorrow for an in-depth webinar that will help you sharpen your hiring, onboarding, and interviewing skills. Our expert speaker will review the best practices for interviewing job candidates, hiring them correctly, and orienting them effectively in today’s still-unsettled economy.
You’ll learn:
- How to review your application forms, online job postings, and other recruiting materials for red flags that could spell legal trouble
- The latest advice on what you can — and cannot — ask applicants during a job interview
- Strategies for dealing with touchy subjects such as gaps in employment, work habits, and past performance problems (as well as issues relating to a candidate’s protected characteristics)
- The safest, most effective ways to verify resumes, transcripts, references, and other applicant materials
- What pitfalls you should avoid when negotiating with potential hires and drafting their offer letters
- The critical onboarding steps that make the most sense in today’s economy — from the initial welcome and new-hire forms to on-the-job training and introductions to work teams
- How to create orientations that introduce new hires to your organization’s culture, policies, and work routines without overwhelming (or boring) them in the process
- The most common errors employers make in the first days and weeks with new hires (from burying them in manuals and paperwork to bringing them onboard when their frontline managers are off duty or on vacation)
Can’t make it tomorrow? No worries — order the CD and learn at your leisure.
Download your free copy of Questions To Ask In An Interview: Interview Questions for Employers today!