Note - this is the eighth article in a series of 12 provided by Rikka Brandon and was featured in the June/July 24 issue of BLD Connection Magazine. The ninth article will be included in the July issue of our monthly newsletter, Material Matters.

The day has finally arrived. You did the work, ran a great job ad, interviewed qualified applicants, and extended an offer to the best candidate. After negoti­ations, they’ve accepted your offer.

There’s just one more step in the hiring process. To continue the cycle of success, it’s essential to get your new employee off on the right foot from day one.

Onboarding is the process that new employees move through as they join your company. It starts the minute they walk through the door on their first day and can last until the end of their first year of employment.

Hopefully, the new hire is as excited about their new opportunity as you are about adding them to your team. You want to keep their energy and enthusiasm high. This means being prepared and ready for them.

Here are some ways to make the onboarding experience successful:

If they have a desk, make sure it’s clean and stocked with the basic office supplies they need. No one wants to start a new job at a desk full of the last person’s crumbs and stray hairs.

If they will have a computer, make sure it’s set up and ready to go, with all of their required software and access to the network and printer. Ensure their email is set up before they arrive.

Have ready copies of keys, key cards, badges, and other equipment they’ll need to access allowable areas of your facility. In addition, if the job requires business cards, have them printed and ready on their first day. This makes a strong statement.

Send an email to the team welcoming the new hire and describe a little bit about their background and experience, and why they’re a good addition to the company. Include their contact information and other vital details.

Have a warm meet-and-greet with other team members to start the day. Consider a simple breakfast of coffee, juice, fruit salad and pastries. A 15- to 30-minute event can break the ice.

Give the new hire a tour of the office. Let them know where the bathroom is, where the office supplies are, where the coffee pot is, and what others typically do for lunch.

Training for a new position can be overwhelming to some. Let them know the specifics of their training. Depending on whether it will be software- or people-based, let them know what, when and how they will be learning to do their job. It’s often highly effective to identify one person as the “mentor” for the new hire. This ensures the current team member knows they are the go-to person for the new hire, and the new hire knows whom to ask when they have questions.

In addition, pre-arrange for one-on-one kickoff meetings with key team members. These meetings don’t have to be heavy on details but should simply help the new employee get to know his or her everyday contacts, who can then provide a preliminary overview of how things run, common procedures and agreed-on best practices. Some companies even include headshots of key leaders in the company with their names and positions in the new-hire paperwork so they can start to recognize the company leadership.

Set a calendar reminder to check in with them every week for the first month, then every other week for the next two months to make sure they’re feeling confident and to answer questions. Be sure to pay attention and comment on what they do right. It’s nerve-racking to be the new kid on the block. Be sure to pair constructive feedback with praise or else they’ll feel like they’re failing and may decide to leave – just when they’re starting to really get the hang of the job.

The first day, along with the following days and weeks, sets an important tone for what it will be like for the employee to work for you and for the company. By taking extra steps to ensure they feel welcomed and prepared, they’ll be more likely to hit the ground running.

Rikka Brandon is a leading recruiting and hiring expert in the LBM industry. She’s the founder of Building Gurus, a boutique training, consulting, and executive search firm for building products manufacturers and distributors. She’s also the creator of Hire Power   an on-demand training for recruiting and hiring in the building products industry. If you’re interested in working with Rikka, schedule a call at BuildingGurus.com/Discovery.