You’ve just made a great new hire. (From Exact Staff we hope!!) Congratulations!

Your job is done, right?

Actually, it’s just beginning. Keeping that exceptional new team member content, engaged and motivated to perform for you takes careful planning.

But they just started with the company – and they barely knows how to do the job you hired them for. Shouldn’t you just focus on getting them up to speed?

While it’s certainly important to address short-term training and performance goals for a star employee, it’s equally important to address his long-term growth within your organization. The reason is simple: If a high performer doesn’t see a bright future within your company, they are likely to start looking for a more promising one elsewhere.

And in today’s employment market, they’re likely to find one.

So keep your exceptional new employee’s focus where it belongs – on growing and contributing within your organization. Here are a few tips for creating a clear career path for your new hire:

Determine growth potential.

Before meeting with your employee, outline his greatest strengths and weaknesses. In addition to job skills, consider soft skills such as leadership, creative problem-solving and communication abilities. Use this list as a starting point for planning his future within your company.

Consider your organization’s objectives.

What are your goals for the next three to five years? What hiring needs do you foresee? How could this new hire be groomed for greater responsibility? Considering all of these factors, develop a few potential career paths for this individual. Ultimately, you should look for an intersection between his career goals and your organization’s objectives.

Co-create a professional development plan.

Hold a formal planning meeting with your employee to learn more about his long-term goals. Express your interest in his professional growth and present your ideas for potential career paths. Then, work together to:

• Choose the best career option;
• Establish timeframes, milestones and performance standards;
• Outline 6-month, 12-month, 3-year and 5-year growth goals;
• Determine the training, mentoring, education and “stretch assignments” needed to achieve the goals you set.

Plan periodic progress reviews.

Meet at least once a year to keep your employee’s professional growth plan on track and delivering the results you both want.

Money alone is not enough to keep your exceptional new hire performing for you. But by taking the actions above, you can:

• Create ample advancement opportunities for your high performer;
• Align your employee’s goals with your organization’s;
• Cultivate greater loyalty, job satisfaction and engagement;
• Ultimately keep them growing and performing within your company.

Need to hire exceptional employees?

Exact Staff delivers productive talent to meet your local or national hiring needs. Contact our team of top recruiters by calling 1.877.364.2999 today to discuss your requirements.