Hanging Onto Your Hires

When you hire new Creatives, you need to remember that they've been in job-hunting mode for a while, and just because they've started a new job doesn't mean they've flipped a switch and are no longer aware of other possibilities. They're likely to still be getting responses from letters they previously sent out, their resume and portfolio are likely still available on Monster and CareerBuilder and may still be generating calls, and they might still be making comparisons between your firm and the other opportunities coming their way. While they may be very happy to have a stable job, whether or not they remain happy depends on how things start out. The first few months of your Creatives' employment helps determine if that employment will actually last beyond the first few months.

Management consultant Lillith Christensen notes that almost one-third of new hires start looking for a different job within their first 6 months of employment. Their entrance into the company helps determine if your Creatives will be part of that one-third or not.

In her book Successful Onboarding, Christensen points out a few things companies should do to smooth their employes' transition into the company. She suggests

- providing information in a structured manner that's easy to digest

- identifying someone who can provide support during the transition

- giving them a "stakeholder map" to explain relationships in the company

- listening to what they ask, not simply talking at them

I'd add something else for Creatives: try to avoid the "new guy" label. When you hire Creatives you're hiring them for a specific set of talents they can bring to you, and perpetually treating like someone who has to prove themselves and pay their dues ignores those contributions they're bringing. Yes, they need to learn about the company, and no, they aren't going to be the CEO on the first day, but treating them as if their talents are immaterial is a sure way to demotivate them and make them think about looking elsewhere. If they haven't already proven their talents, you probably shouldn't have hired them.

The importance of effective onboarding can't be overemphasized. I'll share a story from my own experience. I joined an organization and for the first month worked without a contract because my new boss didn't know what was required and was too busy to care. Because I didn't have a contract I couldn't get an email address or phone number. I also didn't have an office, instead working out of a random cubicle (which I found occupied by someone else on my second day). About a week into it, the boss above my boss asked me "so, what do you think your role should be here?," which suggested to me he hadn't thought about it. (when I asked him, he wasn't able to answer that question himself) It was 6 months before I figured out who I needed to talk to in the organization to get different things done. By then I was already planning my departure, and sure enough, I left at the end of my one-year contract rather than accepting the renewal they offered. Those early problems left a bad taste in my mouth the entire time, and they were kind of ironic, given that my boss was passing himself off as some sort of HR expert.

It's important to pay attention to how you recruit your Creatives, but all that effort will be wasted if you don't pay equal attention to getting people integrated into the company. It's one thing to find new hires, but it's quite another thing to actually hang onto them.