Written By: Stacey Sprain
After you’ve created a written job description for the position you wish to fill and finish creating a script for interview processes along with standard questions and topics to discuss, you will want to plan ahead by creating a standard training plan. The training plan needs to include standard on-boarding procedures for the new employee along with some sort of tracking so you are able to keep track of training progress.
Some things to consider when creating a training plan and on-boarding process:
•What kinds of material might be most useful immediately to a new person in your company?
•What kinds of things would a new person need to have immediate access to in order to perform the job functions stated within the job description?
•Can you plan out an agenda for the first few days or week of the new hire’s employment and stick with the plan?
•What other persons might be able to assist with the training and oversight processes for an interim period while the new employee is learning?
•Would input and opinions from existing employees be helpful to you in creating a standard written training plan for that position?
•What can you fairly expect the new person to learn and be able to accomplish in the first few days and weeks of employment?
•Can you create a plan that phases in the overall job responsibilities keeping an end goal date as a target date for the new employee to be operating fully in the position?
I feel that it’s important to share your ideas and be willing to ask for and gather opinions from others in your office so that you are aware of how they might see such a training plan. What kinds of things were they not trained on initially that they feel would be most important or helpful to a new hire? What types of suggestions and input can the existing team offer? How can you involve others in the new hire training so that you create a trusting and comfortable atmosphere for the new person?
The major key to creating a training plan is to make sure that it is realistic out of the gate. Be realistic on what you can fairly and reasonably expect from the new person while he/she is getting acclimated to a new job with a new employer. You don’t want to overwhelm the new person with ridiculous unachievable expectations yet at the same time, you don’t want the person to be overly bored in the beginning either.
I like to think back to the training experiences I have had over my 18 years in the business and pull some of the positive training experiences into my own plan and keep in mind those negative experiences I had where the training was less than stellar. I honestly believe that the impression you make on a new employee within their first day of work is one that stays with them and will ultimately determine if you made the right hiring choice. The more organized the on-boarding process is for new employees; the more likely they are to start with a positive perspective and to stay positive in the organization.
Be sure to refer specifically to the written job description when creating the training plan. It’s important to cover each component of the description. Create small goals within your plan and provide a tracking chart to the new person so he/she can hold you accountable for their training progress. That way you will be less likely to forget important areas of the training you promised to them. Also, be sure to schedule follow up meetings to simply check in and follow up with the new person. It’s important to make the new person feel welcome and appreciated right from the start. If you commit to occasional follow up, you can also learn of areas where the plan falls short or may need to be tweaked.
Make sure that your written training plan remains a work in progress and use the feedback you receive from your new people to help you continue to improve and perfect your plan.
A few additional items to consider if the new hire is an originator, processor or underwriter:
•If they are to be dealing with and working with particular lender guidelines, does that lender offer any training that would be beneficial to the new person? If not, can you provide some sort of overview of the important things the new person needs to know about each lender they’ll be responsible for working with?
•Can you provide the new employee with a specific list of contacts on day one so that they know exactly who to contact for questions in distinct categories?
As the old saying goes, “you never get a second chance to make a first impression.” That statement certainly holds true when training a brand new employee. Make the most of pre-planning so that the entire process is in writing and therefore runs smoothly for both you and the new hire!
About The Author
Stacey Sprain - As an NAMP® staff writer, Ms. Stacey Sprain is currently a NAMP® member in good standing, and is a NAMP® Certified Ambassador Loan Processor (NAMP®-CALP). With over 15+ years of mortgage banking experience, Stacey is also a Quality Control Manager for a major mortgage lending institution. If you would like to become a volunteer writer for us, please email us at: contact@mortgageprocessor.org.
