The Most Important Questions To Ask New Hires

In Paul Falcone’s book, 75 Ways For Managers To Hire, Develop And Keep Great Employees, he recommends asking new employees the following questions 30, 60 and 90 days after they were hired:

30-Day One-on-One Follow-Up Questions

Why do you think we selected you as an employee?
What do you like about the job and the organization so far?
What’s been going well? What are the highlights of your experiences so far? Why?
Tell me what you don’t understand about your job and about our organization now that you’ve had a month to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty.
Have you faced any unforeseen surprises since joining us that you weren’t expecting?

60-Day One-on-One Follow-Up Questions

Do you have enough, too much or too little time to do your work?
Do you have access to the appropriate tools and resources?
Do you feel you have been sufficiently trained in all aspects of your job to perform at a high level?
How do you see your job relating to the organization’s mission and vision?
What do you need to learn to improve?
What can the organization do to help you become more successful in your role?
Compare the organization to what we explained in would be like when you initially interviewed with us. Have you experienced any surprises, disappointments, or other “ah-ha” moments that you’re comfortable sharing?
How does it go when your supervisor offers construction criticism or corrects your work?

90-Day One-on-One Follow-Up Questions

Which coworkers have been helpful since you arrived? (Goal: Pinpoint which employees can be influential in retaining new hires.)
Who do you talk to when you have questions about your work? Do you feel comfortable asking?
Have you had any uncomfortable situations or conflicts with supervisors, coworkers, or customers?
Does your supervisor clearly explain what the organization expects of you?
Do you believe your ideas and suggestions are valued? Provide me some examples?
In retrospect, what could we have done differently in terms of setting your expectations appropriate for working in our company overall and for your job specifically?

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