Hiring the Right Candidate: Making the Offer & Job Training

This is the last in a 6-part series on “Hiring the Right Candidate”. 

Why have I have spent so much time focusing on hiring? It’s because I probably could have spent much more. Hiring the right people for your team is ultra-critical for the success of your business. Sloppy hiring costs you tens of thousands of dollars and wastes so much precious time. The wrong hire could also doom your company to mediocrity or even its eventual demise. 

Do not underestimate the time needed to hire the right people. Take it slow and be very intentional about the process.
 

MAKING THE OFFER
 
The final step to hiring the right candidate is making the offer and getting your candidate on board. The offer should state:

  • Compensation

  • Workday schedule – hours expectations

  • Job description

  • Reporting supervisor

  • Start date

  • First review date

  • Benefits description and eligibility

The compensation part is often the trickiest, but you should know by this point what the candidate is willing to work for and what you are prepared to pay. Make sure you are paying a fair wage and have realistic expectations on when this person can anticipate a review for a wage increase.
 

JOB TRAINING: IMPLEMENTATION / INCORPORATION PLAN

Let’s close out this series by talking about the implementation / incorporation plan for your new hire. Most companies do not have a plan; they bring someone in and they throw them right into the fire. In doing so, they end up alienating the new hire and possibly getting them trained by people who are also just as ill informed. It makes no sense to spend thousands of dollars on a new hire if you aren’t sure they will be successful for your organization. 

The following is our recommended implementation / incorporation plan:

  • Start the new hire at the beginning of the week.

  • Recognize that the new hire will have the ability to see things you can’t see during their first 60 to 90 days. Ask them to write down potential suggestions as they are going through the training process to later share with you at a meeting you will have with them in 90 days. Ask them specifically to hold those thoughts until 90 days so they can understand the whole process first.

  • Put the supervisor of this person in charge of the training process.

    • Make sure all HR paperwork is completed the first day. Get it done.

    • Have the new hire shadow their co-workers for at least a whole day – taking copious notes.

    • Check in on the process multiple times during that first day.

    • Review the notes at the end of the day.

    • Second day should start the implementation of what they are starting to learn. Give them hands-on experience, but still keep them side by side with a co-worker. The supervisor should still check in several times during the day.

    • For the remainder of the first week repeat the process giving the new hire more and more time to do things independently, but continue to closely watch them so that you can make sure they are accomplishing their tasks properly.

    • At the end of the first week, make sure the owner of the company and the supervisor have some one-on-one time with the new hire to check on the progress being made.

    • For the remainder of the 90 days, repeat this process as often as needed until your new hire feels comfortable in their job and comfortable with communicating with their supervisor and, you, the owner.

  • At the end of the first 90 days, sit down and do an employee review with your new hire. Ask them questions like:

    • Do you feel adequately trained for your position?

    • What additional training do you need?

    • Do you feel like you can take on more responsibilities?

    • What can we do to improve the new hire training process?

    • What kinds of things did you observe that you think we can improve on from your 90 day suggestion list?


If you take your time and hire the right candidate and spend intentional time equipping them properly for their job, you will give them the best chance of succeeding.  Their success leads to your business’s success as well.

Hire right!

About the Author, Jim Brangenberg

Jim's Mission: We are called to be examples of Christ to those around us. With that in mind, Jim is passionate about helping Christ followers connect their faith to their work!


Jim Brangenberg