At JMF Associates, we're all about making things easier for skilled professionals and the companies they work for. Most of the time that means creating matches between candidates and companies that are mutually beneficial and will stand the test of time. But we also enjoy pitching in with helpful tips that individuals and businesses can use to get a better job or make their company a more profitable and rewarding place to work. This article falls into the latter category. So without further ado, here are 9 valuable tips for how to train new employees effectively.

1: Make Sure Your Needs and Their Expectations Are Aligned

Nothing will derail training quite as quickly as a new hire who feels like they're being trained for a job they did not apply for. Ensuring everyone's expectations are in line begins when the job description is written and continues throughout the recruitment and onboarding process.

2: Make Sure Every Position is Clearly Defined

All the major duties of a position should be clearly defined along with the position's finer points. New hires should never be left to figure out the details on their own or be told that "Your predecessor had her own way of doing things."

3: Make the Most of Technology

We live in an era of unprecedented technological wonders. Optimise use of them during the onboarding and training process in order to prevent new hires from having to suffer through endless streams of paperwork. The time you save can be put back into more comprehensive training.

4: Make Use of Mentors

If at all possible, new hires should be paired with someone who knows the ins and outs of the company and its operations. They should also have more than a passing knowledge of the position the new hire is filling. Having a mentor on hand can allow a new hire to settle in quicker.

5: Let Them Shadow More Experienced Staff Members

A business is an intricate web of relationships that work in harmony toward a common goal. By allowing new hires to spend a few weeks shadowing established staff members, you enable them to develop a clear understanding of how that web is constructed.

6: Centralise Your Training Materials

New hires should not have to sift through mountains of paper or sidle up to their peers to get the training information they need. Everything a new hire needs should be available from a central resource whether that be a well-maintained intranet, a training room, or a combination of both.

7: Explain the Company Culture Right Upfront

A new hire must understand your organisation's culture and feel comfortable within it. You never want to hear that someone feels like a fish out of water. That usually means they weren't properly briefed on how things are done. Take the time necessary to explain it to them right upfront.

8: Pick the Brains of Others in a Similar Role

If you want a good training resource, none is better than your current staff. By that, we mean that they are a font of information regarding what they felt worked during their training and what they felt did not. Use what they have to say to improve your new hire training regime.

9: Work with a Trusted Recruiting Agency

At JMF Associates, we do more than place highly qualified candidates with the companies where their skills can be best utilised. We also take the time to make sure candidate and company are on the same page from Day 1 so that training and onboarding can proceed without a hitch.

Get in contact with the experts at JMF Associates by calling +44 (0)20 8663 6699 or emailing team@jmfassociates.co.uk for experienced accounting, finance, and bookkeeping recruitment.