Hiring a school leaver? Try these tips for success

Setting the right conditions for your new starter is a critical first step to success.

This latest journal comes on the back of our successful Business Breakfast with Your Acton Bid. Cassandra Hamilton, the founder of EdWorkation, delivered insights into the skills business owners need when taking on new employees to set them up for early career success. No matter whether you are a large or small business, Cassandra’s guidance will help you get the most from your hiring.

Hiring for Success

When we speak with business owners about hiring we often find they are reluctant to take on school leavers or graduates. Cassandra noted that a structured start to working with a company means that 69% of employees will stay with a business for over three years. Therefore, the onus is on you as an employer to put in place the right conditions for your new recruits to thrive.

The same research reveals that 20% of employees will leave a business within 45 days of starting if they feel the company is not supporting them. In total, businesses in the UK lose a total of £37 billion per year by hiring employees who are not clear about what they need to do in their roles. For a business, failing to hire properly equates to losing 2 years of the employee’s salary.

When hiring your new starter, you want to make sure that they are fully engaged with your business and its values. The engagement rate amongst employees globally is 21% while the UK has the lowest engagement rate in Europe at 9%. Research shows that more productive businesses have higher levels of employee buy-in.

What are New Employees Looking For?

The key values that employees new to the workforce want are commitment and connection with their employers. The feedback from millennials highlights that to work for companies whose values align with theirs. This is a shift from the traditional idea of only needing the technical skills to do the role.

New employees are looking for their employer to invest in them to help them achieve their potential. They want to take on responsibility and be accountable for the work they do. There is a need for employers to act as mentors to their careers, not managers who tell them what to do.

Your Role as the Employer

The key values that employees want are commitment and connection from their employers. By discussing the vision and values for your company the day they start, you will let your new starter know what your company wants to achieve.

Put in place a clear process with the goal of creating consistent interactions with your new employees. This approach allows you to understand how the employee is developing and what they are delivering for you.

Creating clarity and a sense of purpose offers clear boundaries to your employee. Explain to them the outcomes you want from the role. Resist the temptation to tell them how to do the job. Instead, ask them questions to allow them to develop their ideas to succeed in the role. This will develop trust between you and your new employee and establish the value of their work. Set up a regular routine to meet with the employee for feedback you can use to mentor and coach them in the role. Taking this approach means that you transfer ownership of the activity to the new employee and keep up to date on their progress.

As part of this initial discussion, let your new starter know what value they bring to your business it means they are clear about the contribution they make to the business. Talk to them about your business goals and objectives to engage them with the business activities so they can see how important their presence is to the productivity and potential of your business.

Be clear about what you expect in terms of working hours, holidays, and requests for time off. These areas might seem obvious to you but setting the boundaries at the beginning will help you avoid issues later on if the employee’s attendance does not meet your expectations.

Getting it Right

Hiring someone who is new to the workforce needs you to set out what success looks like in their role and coach your employee to achieve that success. The workplace is stressful and we can sometimes lose track of how our new workforce starters are progressing.

By systematically managing their transition into the workforce, you gain a loyal employee who delivers for your company.

This means one less job for you to worry about and allows you to focus on your role as a business owner.

Guest Contributor: Cassandra Hamilton, Founder, EdWorkation

Our guest for this article was Cassandra Hamilton, an awarding winning careers and recruitment consultant. Cassandra is a coach to business owners and helps them integrate school, college, or university graduates into their businesses. You can contact Cassandra on LinkedIn 

We host business breakfasts with our sponsors Your Acton Bid and West London Chambers. This breakfast is a great way for businesses in and around Acton to find out more about business in the area. Look out for our updates on LinkedIn for the next event. Please contact us if you would like an opportunity to speak at one of our events. We are always looking for guest speakers to share their knowledge with like-minded business owners.

Our next event is on Friday, July 21 at 8:30 am in the ActonOne Cinema and is free for Your Acton BID members. Sign up here