Human resources professionals, hirers and trainers alike, want to see their great new hires infusing the workplace with their excellence for a long, long time. More often than not, that means they’ll need to move up the ladder, gain more and more responsibility, take on new challenges and assignments, get promoted and even get a few raises along the way.

That’s how it’s supposed to work, anyway. But young people just entering the workplace don’t have a smooth, paved road toward success these days. In today’s economy, every company must ramp up their excellence machine to deliver the best product, service or whatever output drives their business in order to survive in these lean times. That means employees need to be functioning in high gear all the time, giving 100 percent and producing even more.

It might also mean companies are less likely to take chances by giving plum assignments to new hires, instead relying more on old pros — seasoned veterans in their positions. It means less opportunity for newbies to get a chance to shine, grow, hone their skills and ultimately succeed. And that’s frustrating for someone just starting out, that promising new hire with so much energy and enthusiasm, chomping at the bit to prove him or herself. It might frustrate that great new hire right out the door.

The news isn’t all bad, of course. There are things you and your company’s managers and supervisors can do to keep your great new stars happy and fulfilled on the job. You just need to give them the tools to shine.

Here are a few tips on how to help great young new hires get noticed in the workplace.


• Hire outgoing (not pushy) self starters.
It might well be that the shy, unassuming kid with the great resume will turn out to be the CEO of the company someday, but in today’s business climate, young people who are self starters, who aren’t afraid to speak up in meetings, and who have outgoing, cheerful personalities are more likely to get noticed, to catch the boss’ ear and get promoted than those who prefer to toil in the background.


• Give new hires a crash course in getting ahead.
One of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever heard someone give a promising new hire was to get interested in what his manager was interested in — related to the job. Today, that means searching the Internet for news feeds, discussion groups, blogs, and timely articles related to your company’s business or your manager’s particular area of expertise. Then periodically forward those articles to him or her, with an analysis of how it relates to your company’s business, similar tactics you could take, how it might help with a project you’ve been working on, and so on.


• Encourage them to ask for ever-growing responsibilities.
When a new hire has completed a task or project successfully, he or she should talk to his or her manager to request something new. Encourage them to stretch a bit, reaching for something that might be just outside of their comfort zone. That way, they’ll hone their skills and grow.


• Help them chart a course for success.
Within several months of their hiring date, set a time to sit down with the new hire to chart out a direction for his or her future at the company. Talk about what sorts of areas interest him, jobs that she is interested in moving into, where he sees himself in one year, three years and five years. Then give the employee the tools to reach those goals — information about any additional education required, skills that might be necessary to attain, and how to go about getting that extra knowledge. This plan should be shared with the employee’s manager.

Today’s business climate is competitive. Give your great new hires the tools to lead the pack.




Charlie Wonderlic is the President and CEO of Wonderlic Inc., a premiere provider of employee recruitment, selection, development and retention solutions. For more information about customized hiring solutions from Wonderlic, visit www.wonderlic.com