Your new hire has finally joined and you are heaving a sign of relief. However there is still some trepidation as the new recruit tries to find his bearings while the team tries to embrace him into their fold. The early months are crucial particularly if the person has fair share of responsibility within the team. Here are some tips to tell if the relationship is going to be long lasting and happy one or you will have to take some tough decision. Watch out for these behaviors!
1.Listens or Talks. A lot is said and discussed during the selection process but you really get to know the person when you observe him in his work environment. It’s usually difficult to connect to people who love the sound of their own voice more than others. They are resistant to learning and believe they know it all. If the new employee is more of a listener than a talker especially in this pivotal period -you have a keeper. Do observe if he airs his views more than taking- in his new environment.
2. Is He Helpful? Being helpful is way of life and comes naturally to some people making them more likable and easier to be with. Each employee is accountable for specific areas at organizational level but sometimes business exigencies demand everyone chips in to get things done. People who put up their hands and say “Not my job” “I was not hired to so this” are not team players and want to stay in their own lanes. Does the new recruit offer to use his skills to solve problems outside his work area and responsibility? Is he helpful?
3. Asks Questions. Asking questions is a great way to know more about the company and its culture. It’s a positive sign when the new hire takes effort to ask questions and align himself to the ways of the company rather than trying to prove his own superiority over others. Asking questions is about being on the same page with rest of the team and moving ahead together. Is he trying to blend in or finding it difficult to find his feet?
4.Shares In The Success. Helping others succeed is as important as being successful. If your new hire shows predilection to hog to spotlight you need to move fast and let him go as he can be a source of conflict within the team. Have you noticed how the new hire handles success?
5. Owns Up. Early days are decisive because they tell you so much about the new person including how he handles mistakes. Mistakes are inevitable but does your recruit turn them into learning opportunities? Does he reflect on what went wrong and more importantly take responsibility for it? You don’t want someone who will not own up and allow someone else to take the blame.
6. Wants To Do It All. There are people who are very ambitions and want more work. That’s great because you want someone with fire in the belly too. However, there is a thin line in wanting to do it all and being able to do it all – sometimes taking on more than you can deliver leaves a string of unfinished work for someone else to clean up. You have to be wary – and observe if the new hire wants to take on more than he can handle in order to impress others or has the capability to deliver on his promises.
Recruiting is like walking the tightrope –you can fall off if you don’t balance it right. It’s easy to assess the technical skills but it’s really not so easy to find the right cultural fit. From the employee well being and organizational perspective, it’s important that employees share a good camaraderie and are happy at the workplace. After all you spend more time at work than you do with your family.
Hope these tips help you know your new hire better and may be help him fit in faster.
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