Pub. 6 2016 Issue 4

11 Study their resume and application and look for ac- complishments. In many cases accomplishments will trump experience, especially with younger candidates. If possible have a candidate interview with several team members. Think of it as, if the next person you hire, you could not fire, would you be more careful? 2.New Hire Onboarding and Training Let’s face it, in most cases dealerships fail in these two categories. It takes planning to create a great on- boarding process. But it takes even more discipline to implement one. Studies show that an employee’s first thirty days are most critical in determining the longevity of their employment with a given employer. What impressions do your new hires leave with after their first day? What will they tell their spouse, parents, or friends? Do they feel important? Or do they feel like they were a nuisance and no one cared if they were there or not? Did activities they completed have any value or were they an afterthought? Besides factory training, HR paperwork, employee handbook, and shadowing another employee what other activities do new hires need to complete in order to be produc- tive as soon as possible? Think about your first week at work. Was it memo- rable in a positive or negative way? To make a positive impression, take time to plan and organize their first day, week, and month. At the minimum, when a new hire understands what their first month will look like, it will create a better onboarding experience for them. Besides an organized day, you can create a better ex- perience by doing something that does not seem like much. Provide them with a welcome package with their business cards, a welcome letter from the GM/ Owner, and list of all logins they need to get going. Little items like these will go a long way in creating a warm on-boarding experience for a new hire. This will help build a loyal foundation for their career with you 3.Employee Review and Feedback Do you like to hear a feedback, especially “a job well done” type? In the business where there is plenty of stress and pressure, hearing positive feedback could help eliminate some of it. Do you like to give gifts? I hope you do. Think of your positive feedback as a gift to your employees. You do not have to be a boss to give a gift, right? People like to hear about what they can do better. When providing feedback, do not use “great job, bad job, great job” combo. Say what you mean and mean what you say, right? “Everything I am about to say is in an effort to make you better”, then proceed to tell them what they need to improve. Is your ultimate goal to help your employees do better job? It is a great practice periodically to ask employees to give you their feedback. What do they like so far? What are the challenges or obstacles they face? Do they feel like they get enough support? What can you do to help them? Doing so within their first month on the job will help you identify items that need to be corrected. Additionally, new employees can offer invaluable feedback on the way your dealership oper- ates. They have a fresh perspective that has not been tainted by years of doing things the same way. There are many more steps to attract and retain the best employees. Ultimately, it is about creating a better culture. The culture where employees want to work, contribute, grow, and most importantly, stay, will by itself attract the best of the best. Begin with focusing on three things, create better hiring practices, develop a solid onboarding/training process and work on providing timely, positive feedback to your employees.  For more information, please contact Francis Fagan with Automotive Development Group at 312-608-4979 or ffagan@adgtoday.com. Francis is the Regional Training Director for Illinois and Indiana. At Automotive Development Group we put the emphasis on training. Visit our website for our training calendar and to meet our nationally renowned trainers. www.AutomotiveDevelopmentGroup.com You can always teach skills, but it is nearly impossible to teach someone to be friendly. What impressions do your new hires leave with after their first day? … To make a positive impression, take time to plan and organize their first day, week, and month. New employees can offer invaluable feedback on the way your dealership operates. They have a fresh perspective that has not been tainted by years of doing things the same way.