Helping Trainees Have the Best Start Possible

September is just around the corner. For most of our clients this is a really busy time as their new legal, accountancy, audit and tax trainees commence their training contracts.

Our team at 3Qhub will be busy delivering sessions for clients as part of their Induction Programmes, meeting the new trainees and helping them have the best start possible.

But what can the team do to ensure their trainees have the best start? We’ve put together some top tips to support you in integrating your trainees effectively into your teams and into your firm’s culture.

‍On the first day: make it memorable

‍On their first day, what is more memorable: a presentation by Doug in IT to discuss the GDPR policy or starting at 10am with a welcome from the Managing Partner followed by an informal, networking brunch at a local restaurant where they get to meet the other trainees that they’ll be working closely with and other team members? The IT training session, although important, can be covered later.

Ensure all trainees have a scheduled plan for their first week and share this with them before they start. 

On the first day: make the effort to make it personal

Plan the first day with care. How about starting on a Friday when things in the office tend to be more relaxed, rather than a Monday when things are usually more hectic? Set the scene, make sure they meet the appropriate people but then make it casual with an early finish with a bit of homework. It’s a nice idea to give each trainee a welcome pack with a personalised gift (cooking utensil, book, sports item etc) which should have been detected from the recruitment process when you found out about them. It’s a lot easier than you think to personalise gifts - there will be someone in your office that will be happy to take this role on!

Ensure all technology and systems are ready and set up so they are able to hit the ground running.

On the first day: buddy up

‍People like people. You’ve invested a lot of time and effort in recruiting your trainees already. They are going to potentially be with you for a long time and the more engaged they are, the better they will perform.

Partner them up with a Buddy who matches their personality. Personality and social profiling can be very useful but only if used correctly. Take the time to review results and match people accordingly with people within the firm. If you’ve got a chatty, gregarious trainee, match them with someone similar. Don’t rely on a random allocation in Excel.

PowerPoint Hell

‍ There’s only so much information we can analyse, process and memorise. Don’t assume just because you’re “training’’ them that they will take it in. It’s much better to spread the training out so trainees can absorb the information. We often meet new trainees at the end of their induction period and they’ve been bombarded with so many presentations they can’t recall what has been covered.

Of course, nobody knows your business like you and your managers do but you need to ensure that learning is purposeful. Are your internal teams up to speed on modern ways of learning? Are the trainers engaging and passionate about their content? Are they really providing the learning that trainees need and are trainees engaged with the learning?

Share context

How will your trainees learn?  Simple really, by understanding WHY they do something. Always explain the Final Destination of work. Sure, someone may do a basic analysis of expenditure for you as they learn the ropes but ensure you show them the importance of that work and where their numbers end up in the end. This will help them to understand the bigger picture and make their contributions feel worthwhile.

Support

For most of your trainees, this will be their first experience to the world of professional business. It will take a while for them to settle in. Signpost them to all the support services that are available to them. Explain the importance of study, passing exams, meeting deadlines etc but it’s more important that they know they have a support system in place when they need it.

Inclusion

It’s vital that trainees feel integrated and involved in the business from day one. Ensure they are included on the relevant email groups and that they receive all relevant communications. Your trainees are human and so are you so it’s also good to meet them in a social setting too. Have some varied social events planned over the first few weeks to help them integrate into the team and invite trainees to sit on groups where relevant. 

Phone, emails and taking notes

Many of your trainees will dislike using the phone in the office and will do anything to avoid it. Anxiety about using the phone will only worsen if they don’t practice the skill. It’s a good idea to get trainees comfortable using the phone early on. Are there some routine calls that you could give them responsibility for? For example, working down a list of clients, asking them to bring in their information by a certain date. Also, support your trainees to identify a “standard phrase” for when they get asked a question they don’t know the answer to. This is their protective suit of armour! 

Review their drafted emails and give them constructive feedback. Copy them in to emails others have drafted so they can see how to structure and style their emails.

Show them how you structure your notes in briefings and client meetings and review their notes in the early days to make sure they have captured everything.

At 3Qhub, we work with our clients to support them with their trainee recruitment including providing selection interview skills training and running trainee assessment centres.

We also provide practical, essential skills training to ensure trainees have the skills they need (outside of their technical training) to grow into effective and happy professionals.

If you would like to discuss how we can support your business and your trainees, please get in touch.

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