Hiring a new employee is a huge commitment, especially if you’re a small to mid-sized business with a tight budget. Before you invest time, energy, and resources into a new team member, you’ll want to make absolutely certain they are truly a good fit. Implementing a trial period can be a great strategy for confirming your hiring decision.
To find out more, we asked Young Entrepreneur Council members the following question:
Q. There is always a worry that a new hire won’t work out as well as you initially thought. What’s the best way for a small to medium-sized business to conduct a “trial period” for new hires?
1. Start them as hourly
All of my new hires go through a trial period where they know they are being watched and measured to ensure they are a fit for the position. Those new hires do not come on as salaried employees—they start at an hourly wage. I find this helps create employee motivation and creates a smooth transition after the end of the trial period if they are a fit. —Leila Lewis, Be Inspired PR
2. Provide a mentor
One often overlooked element of a successful trial period is making sure new hires have constant access to a mentor. Employees who are assigned a mentor as part of their formal employee onboarding process are more likely to stay with the company long term. They learn more quickly, are more in tune with the business’s goals, and assimilate into the company culture more effectively. —Blair Thomas, eMerchantBroker
3. Hire them as interns first
Hire interns for summer internships or co-op positions. This is a great way to bring on new staff and learn who would be a good fit as a fresh hire out of school. This also gives your current staff leadership opportunities by allowing them to manage the interns. You’re trialing potential new hires, but you are also vetting out leadership capabilities among your current staff. —Matthew Podolsky, Florida Law Advisers, P.A.
4. Clearly define the trial period length and expectations
The trial period should be defined (90 days, as an example) and there should be specific tasks that need to be completed. For example, the new hire should have read the employee handbook, be able to clock in and out, and have memorized all relevant company passwords. When the trial period is specific in what needs to be accomplished, you’ll be able to weed out folks who won’t work out. —Andrew Schrage, Money Crashers Personal Finance
5. Start them with “real” work right away
The mindset of the trial period matters just as much as the actual thing. If you want to avoid having to let someone go after a trial period, then treat it like it isn’t just a trial. Set your new employees up for success by starting the real work right away and treating them like everyone else. The more comfortable they feel, the more they’ll fit in with the company so you don’t have to recruit. —Jared Atchison, WPForms
6. Give them problems that require deep thinking
Small to medium-sized businesses should make new hires go through a probationary period where they’re given certain tasks that are seeded with intentional problematic forks that require deeper thinking. This will give a company a better idea of how new hires tackle problems and their decision-making process. —Jordan Edelson, Appetizer Mobile LLC
7. Incorporate it into your onboarding process
The best way to ensure that a new hire performs well is to create a solid onboarding system. This should include an orientation to company rules, expectations, and values, along with on-the-job training. We assign a “buddy” to all new team members that can answer questions and provide guidance. Setting 30-, 60- and 90-day expectations up front is crucial, along with check-ins at those intervals. —Katie Wagner, KWSM: a digital marketing agency
8. Give them a small project
Use the trial period to give new employees a small project to work on. Through it you can determine if they’re the right fit for your business. You can see their work ethic, problem-solving skills, teamwork, and more. It’s a great way to get to know them better, too. —Stephanie Wells, Formidable Forms
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9. Ask them to freelance before hiring
For creatives such as writers, developers, and designers, it’s often a good idea to offer a short-term freelance contract before hiring. Give the candidate a well-defined task and see how they perform. If you think they’ll be a good fit after the trial, sign them up with a standard contract. —Chris Madden, Matchnode
10. Have them sign a confidentiality agreement
Anyone you hire, even for a trial period, should sign an agreement that makes it clear they will keep your confidential information confidential and that any intellectual property they work on for your company will belong to your company. This will help ensure if things do not work out, they will not take your intellectual property to a competitor or use it to start a similar business. —Doug Bend, Bend Law Group, PC
11. Schedule a six-week check-in
Have a six-week check-in where you discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the new hire and give both parties the opportunity to share whether or not the position is working. Tell new hires up front that the first six weeks is a trial period, and if the position is not a great fit for them, they will either be moved elsewhere or let go if there is not another position available that is a good fit. —Diego Orjuela, Cables and Sensors
12. Make the long-term intention clear
When you hire someone for a 60-day trial, it’s a great way to get a feel for their work and communication style. Unfortunately, when someone is on “trial,” you might not treat them as a full employee, and you might find yourself holding back from giving them meaningful work or feedback. To make a trial successful, start with full-time intention and treatment, or you won’t get a real sense. —Nathalie Lussier, AccessAlly
13. Start with low-impact tasks
Don’t start the new hire on the highest-level projects. Let them prove their worth with low-impact tasks. For example, if you’ve hired a social media manager, don’t have their first project be the deployment of a new traffic channel strategy. Instead, put them on an existing process so you can quickly see how they work within your culture and processes. —Matt Diggity, Diggity Marketing
14. Be flexible based on where they are in the hiring cycle
Applicants are in different stages of the hiring cycle. Full-time employees looking for a new job may be open to a paid “after hours” project before receiving the final offer. Available candidates can spend a week or two at your office before receiving an offer. Everyone else can start with two- to eight-week trial periods designed for onboarding and learning before both parties can fully commit. —Mario Peshev, DevriX
15. Extend the trial period if needed
A 90-day period is often enough to understand if a new hire will be a good fit with your business. At times, it isn’t so clear. You can add an option to extend the trial period for a short period of time to flesh out important issues. It’s important, however, to make a decision in the end so that it’s fair to the new hire and is beneficial to your business. —Syed Balkhi, WPBeginner
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