WHY FOLLOW-UPS

When a company hires a new employee, it’s expected that the employee is welcomed and familiarized with the work tasks and internal IT systems during the start-up phase. However, companies tend to underestimate the importance of follow-up interviews during the start-up phase when hiring new managers.

While the newly hired manager likely has a lot of work experience from previous jobs, the manager has limited knowledge of your company’s DNA and working methods. To ensure the manager will flow naturally into the company, you’ll need to align expectations and look at development opportunities for the manager as well as the workplace.

Here are three questions to consider when preparing follow-up interviews

1. What can your company learn from the new hire’s observations?
You’ve chosen your new manager for a reason. He or she has a wealth of work experience that can benefit your workplace, but you need to figure out how to make the most of the experience and input the new hire brings to the table.

2. How do you ensure the new manager gets the best possible introduction to the workplace?
Your new manager should be introduced on an equal footing with other employees. To ensure he or she is best prepared from the start, consider an onboarding program that fits the new hire’s leadership profile.

3. Are the new manager’s expectations for the job consistent with the expectations in the job posting and interview?
If you’re not able to be honest about the tasks the new manager will be taking on, you risk having to look for a new candidate in no time. It’s crucial that your new manager understands the tasks and scope of work before starting to ensure you’ve found the right profile. We recommend being as transparent as possible even before the candidate signs on the dotted line. It creates far more value to hire a candidate who wants to make a difference than the “best” and perhaps even overqualified candidate. Such a candidate will quickly seek new challenges if the job posting doesn’t match reality.

The four paradigms of the follow-up conversation
To get to the heart of the matter, the follow-up conversation can be divided into four paradigms:

1. General development
The purpose of the appraisal is not only to develop your new manager, but also to develop the workplace itself. The development is based on the impressions the manager makes during the start-up period. Your newly hired manager sees the workplace with fresh eyes and can quickly point out inefficiencies that you may have become accustomed to.

2. Development opportunities for your workplace
The newly hired manager can use their previous work experience to observe your workplace’s professional and social routines. Even if you’re experiencing status quo or even in a period of growth, you can always improve. Take your new colleague’s observations to heart.

3. Development opportunities for your new manager
You are all responsible for introducing the new manager to the company’s professional and social community. Follow-up conversations help to ensure that the new manager feels comfortable in the new workplace as soon as possible.

4. Align expectations from day 1
The follow-up interview is an opportunity to look back on the hiring process. To ensure that the newly hired manager gets off to the best possible start, it’s important to set expectations. The manager undoubtedly had a vision even before the hire started. It’s important to assess whether the manager’s vision is actually being executed in the workplace afterwards. This way, you can help ensure that the manager’s actions are in line with the vision.