With thousands of students set to start their first placement, work experience or new job over the summer, now is the perfect opportunity for employers to go above and beyond to help them feel settled and welcome.
While some students may be eager and excited, many feel nervous about entering an unfamiliar environment. By being in regular contact, employers can ease those nerves, build confidence and excitement for that important first day.
Here’s how your organisation can go above and beyond to help students feel ready:
Communication starts before day one
This may be the students first experience of a work environment, and it can feel intimidating. Some simple communication before their first day can go a long way in helping them feel informed and at ease.
Consider:
- Inviting them for a welcome chat – whether it’s a phone call, video chat or in-person visit, this helps students get familiar with the workspace and meet their team before the first day
- Neurodiversity needs – ask confidentially if there are any reasonable adjustments they may need so these can be in place for their first day. It may be certain screen reading aids, IT equipment, workspace access or providing step-by-step guides in written form. Understanding these requirements early can help create a supportive environment.
- Having a first week schedule ready – talk through what their first week will look like, keeping it varied if you can.
- Getting the orders in – if uniforms are required for the role, this is a great time to discuss and order these.
- Following up – send an email with key points so they have details to refer to.
Sort tech in advance
Make sure your new starter has what they need so they feel involved from day one. There is nothing worse than gearing yourself up for your first day to be stuck with a laptop that you can’t log in to and no access to anything. Make sure you:
- Set up laptops, software and email accounts early.
- Provide user guides and login credentials for the systems they’ll need.
Create a first week schedule that is exciting and varied
Share what their first week will look like so they know what to expect and gives them the opportunity to plan where needed.
- Create a day-by-day outline of meetings, trainings and shadowing sessions.
- Include time to speak with wider team members.
- Include a buddy or mentor they can turn to with questions.
Get the whole team involved
Help them build relationships, work alongside other team members and feel welcomed by the wider team, not just their mentor.
You can do this by:
- Encouraging team members to meet with them, to say hello, ask about their interests and explain their role.
- Share internal newsletters or updates so they can get to know what is happening in the wider organisation.
- Invite them along to other meetings to learn about projects, challenges and meet other teams within the organisations.
Arrange regular catch ups to check-in
Booking in regular catch ups in their first week will help provide assurance that they have dedicated time to ask questions on work, feedback what they are enjoying as well as for you to provide feedback. Early feedback builds confidence and shows that you’re invested in their growth. You can do this by:
- Scheduling short check-ins.
- Be specific and constructive, try to pull out examples of where their input or work helped or was recognised by others.
- Encourage them to share their thoughts and ideas, and where possible try to implement them.
Bringing students into the workplace is a great opportunity not just for them, but for the organisation too. Their fresh perspectives, energy and curiosity can bring real value into a team; however, students need to feel comfortable and welcome for them to have the confidence to do this