You don’t get a second chance to make a _____ __________.

Picture this…

It’s 9:00am Monday morning. Your new hire, all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, walks through the door…

How would you describe what happens next?

a. You set about wowing your new recruit with a well thought-out, carefully planned and meticulously executed first day! [correct answer]

Or… 

b. You wing it. [buzzz]

Don’t let all your hard work finding and recruiting that diamond-in-the-rough go to waste…

To make sure your new hire actually wants to stay employed with you, it’s important that you lock-down your onboarding process.

And one of the key aspects to this process is managing the first day.

Here are my 5 must do’s:

5 steps to getting the first day right

1. A place to work

Don’t be the employer that doesn’t give you new hire a home. This means having the following setup and ready to go:

• Their desk (one that’s clean!) & chair
• Their computer
• Their phone
• And any other items necessary to the role

2. Time

Be sure to block out time in your calendar so that you aren’t tied up in meetings all day. You’ll need to orient them on the role, the business, their responsibilities, etc.

3. Orientation buddy

Everyone needs a friend. For new starters, they’ll need someone to go to if you’re pulled away. Ask the orientation buddy to introduce themselves (maybe take them for a coffee), and start introducing them around the business.

4. Lunch

This one isn’t rocket science. Take your new hire out for lunch! Yes, feeling appreciated matters! Anything you can do to make them feel special and welcomed will go a long way today (have the team sign a welcome card, get her some fresh flowers, maybe a fun branded mug with their name on it!)

5. Set up the week

Today you’ll start planning the next few days. Are there team meetings or training they should be invited to? Have you thought about quick-win tasks you can hand-off to get the ball rolling?

If you just do these 5 things, you’ll be well on the way to building a solid relationship that leads to loyalty and commitment.

The first day is crucial. But it’s only one of 7 onboarding stages that you need to plan and deliver.

Any questions?

If you have questions on this topic or any others, feel free to reach me by email or set up a free one-on-one consultation session, or drop me a comment below.

Thanks for sharing!