What Am I Doing Here? Orientation and Training

 So you’ve hired your new employee and they show up on the first day.  That’s a good start, but will it be their most productive day at work?  Maybe it won’t be. Will it be the day that you decide if this person is going to fit at your business?  This is also not likely. 

However, that first day and the days that follow will be the most crucial time period for the new employee in terms of learning what’s expected, what they are supposed to do, how your business operates and where they fit into the larger picture. 

In making this transition a smooth and efficient process you should provide a company overview, your policies and job descriptions. This can all be told to a new employee but it’s a lot to take in so an orientation package that explains all the important aspects of your business, their job and what is expected of an employee will speed the process up. Included with this orientation package should be what is expected of them and what happens when they choose to deviate from these expectations.  This is so they can avoid any unnecessary behaviours or actions. This type of orientation is an important way to avoid misunderstandings that could cause future problems and creates a smoother transition for all parties involved. 

Training is the next important step and how this is done will vary from one workplace to another but simply expecting a new employee will do things right and in the way that your business normally does them is unrealistic. 

New employees often come into a workplace with either little or no experience in exactly the job that you have them doing.  Perhaps,  the experience they do have gave them different habits or ways of thinking than would normally be expected at your business. 

Training has to be gradual and conducted in more than one way to best deliver your message.  Be sure to take into account that some people will learn better through different methods or at a different pace. Be thorough, expect bumps in the road and make sure you ask for feedback so you know how your employee is adjusting and where they need more help.

www.hrnc.ca

Facebook is a recruiting tool used by employers.

Here is an excerpt from an article by Kashmir Hill for Forbes.  You can find the whole article at this link:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2012/03/06/what-employers-are-thinking-when-they-look-at-your-facebook-page/

"While some readers were put off by the idea of being stalked by potential employers, others recognized the utility of tapping into all the information out there about a given candidate.
“If I’m an employer, and it’s legal, and I’m about to make a major investment in someone that I’ll have to work all day with, I’ll use it,” said “gugie.” Puneet Thiara agreed with her: “The costs associated with hiring and training a new employee far outweigh the risk of not doing ALL of your research. You could say it’s similar to me researching a company I am applying for and checking out members of its groups on Facebook to see what kind of people work for the company.”
But other readers want employers to stick to the social networks intended for professional use. “I — and I know many others are with me here — use ‘social networks’ (other than LinkedIn, that is) for just that. Networking SOCIALLY. In my opinion you have no more business examining my Facebook entries than you would crashing a private cocktail party,” wrote a person who spelled “anonymous” in a very eccentric way. “[S]ocial networks should not be used IN LIEU of face-to-face meetings.”
Brettb was of this opinion as well:

[J]udging the character of an individual with such heavy weight on their personal life, which nine times out of ten will never interfere with their professional life, is wrong. The practice of physically sitting down and going through the motions of an interview with a candidate and asking probing intellectual questions while vigorously researching reference data is a much better way to select a qualified candidate. So what if Johnny had a few too many beers one night in Cancun when he was in college and someone took a photo, or if Susie openly supports her local death metal band. Does that make them bad people? No – get to know the candidate if you want to make a judgment of character. See how they handle themselves in a professional atmosphere and if they are personable or rather, someone you feel you can work with.

In my opinion, those who don’t want employers looking them up on Facebook pages are fighting a losing battle.
Christian Miller won the comments section with this remark:

Any candidate worth considering should be smart enough to set their privacy settings in order to hide all content from any potential employer. Anything a competent HR staff can find via google search is fair game.

Good luck, job seekers. And along with polishing your resume, dry-cleaning your interview suit, and researching the companies you’re interviewing with, do pay a visit to your Facebook privacy settings page."

www.hrnc.ca

Recruiting; How To Find The Right People

Recruitment and hiring might be the most important factor in determining how well your business is going to run, especially in a small business where each member's contributions, benefits and drawbacks can be amplified. Compared to a large organization where it’s an entire team of maybe 100+ employees working towards the same goals whereas one poor employee in a group of ten can have a significant negative impact. So where do you start? It’s like shopping, walking into a store without knowing exactly what you want gives you plenty of options but what are the chances you’ll come out with all the things you need. That being said make a list of the “core competencies” that you’ll need in this position, what are the most important skills, knowledge, experiences and educational qualifications needed to perform the job. Next decide upon some of the secondary qualities or personality traits that would make for the ideal fit in a given position. Creating a ranking model or score sheet to track and maintain records accompanying these competencies can make your decision making process that much easier. Next is advertising. Make sure you’re doing this function in the right spots, simply posting an ad in a local paper may not be enough or attract the right people. For example, say you want an entry level IT person to join your team; advertising in a local or national paper could be a costly mistake. How many young people with an education in IT are scanning newspapers for their next job? My guess would be very few so targeting your add can greatly affect who responds. Seek professional associations, online advertising options, government job boards and university or colleges will often provide student resources for new graduates and exploring this option could reap an enthusiastic, knowledgeable individual just waiting for an opportunity to prove him or herself. Think critically about what you need, the ideal type of person for your company's “fit’ and make sure your looking in the right spots to increase your odds of finding a successful new employee.

John Ruyter, HRNC