New Hire Mistakes to Avoid at All Costs

By: Jennifer Leahy
September 12th, 2011

Much has been said about the importance of first impressions. When your company hires a new people, their first impression of your business often sets the stage for their future success and failures. Avoiding these common new hire mistakes and starting off on the proverbial right foot is important in any employer/employee relationship.

While there are always company and industry best practices for orientation and onboarding, there are also mistakes that should be avoided at all costs.

Avoid these when orienting a new hire:

Indifference. No matter how busy you and your top management team may be, take time to properly and warmly welcome a new employee. Just a few minutes of your time can convey the message that your employees are valued and reinforce the person’s decision to join the company.

Self-importance. Yes, you are the boss. But your first interaction with a new hire should be all about them, not you. A quick scan of their resume can reveal a few conversation starters. Note a particular success in their previous position that you find impressive or discuss mutual colleagues. Display your best social graces. The new employee has made a life-changing decision to align their career path with your company. Welcome them sincerely.

Assumption. Don’t assume anything or take any knowledge for granted. What you and your colleagues deem routine and ordinary may be foreign to the newest team member. Be sure and address any and all questions and appoint a colleague as the go-to person for any questions the new employee may encounter. Have a scheduled follow-up process for any questions that may arise during the first few weeks or months in their new role.

Complacency. Obviously your business is successful. After all, you’re hiring new employees. But don’t fail to recognize that the rookie team members may bring important knowledge that can better your business. A fresh pair of eyes can see where improvements can be made and notice opportunities that others may overlook. It’s human nature to become comfortable in our environment and lapse into a “but we’ve always done it this way” mindset.

Talk with new hires and solicit any suggestions that they may offer regarding improvements to policies or practices.

Piles of paperwork. The employee handbook is a critical document and serves as a how-to guide for your human capital. But spending the majority of their first hours in a new role immersed in paperwork is not the way to effectively engage new team members. Spread out the paperwork across the first few weeks. You hired a competent person who is capable of independently reading and understanding the employee handbook. Keep the initial focus on interpersonal interaction, not reading stacks of manuals.

“A gesture of welcome is even bigger, more powerful than teaching someone a lot of facts,” says Rick Gibbs, senior HR specialist at Insperity.

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