Onboarding 101: Help Your New Hire Get the Lay of the Land
Help them figure out who’s who in the zoo: Part 1 of 5 in the Onboarding New Hires Challenge
Coming Up
Why handing your new hire an org chart on day one just adds to the overwhelm
What your new hire actually needs to know to feel confident and oriented
How to help them find their footing in a way that works for your workplace
Starting a new job can feel a bit like drinking from a firehose.
You’re trying to learn where everything is, put names to dozens of new faces, and figure out the unspoken rules of the workplace.
And if you’re an ISFJ-T like me, then you’re also attempting to strike that perfect balance between professional and friendly. Oh, and somehow you expect to feel competent and confident immediately even though you have absolutely no clue what you’re doing yet.
It’s a lot.
The best onboarding acknowledges this overwhelm, helps you figure it out, and sets you up for lasting success. But it takes more than a stack of forms or a few “welcome” meetings to get it right.
That’s why we created this new 5-day Onboarding New Hires Challenge. It will help you build a complete onboarding system that goes beyond the mandatory logistics.
Here’s what we’ll cover together this week:
Day 1: Help Them Get the Lay of the Land (You Are Here)
Day 2: Establish Ideal Working Conditions
Day 3: Establish Communication Expectations
Day 4: Create a First-Win Runway
Day 5: Determine What Success Looks Like (30/60/90)
Let’s dive right into Day 1, shall we? It’s all about helping new hires get the lay of the land and build human connection amidst a sea of strangers.
What New Hires Need to Know
Have you ever started a new job and been handed an org chart on day one? You look at it and think, “Okay, I see Suzie reports to Joe... but will I ever even interact with Joe? And what can Suzie actually do for me?”
When a new hire starts, they want to know where they fit into this new ecosystem. While they’re getting their initial bearings, anything more than that is just noise they’re going to drown out.
What your new hire actually needs is far more useful than an org chart: understanding where they can go to get things done.
They need the answers to questions like “Who approves my work?” and “Where do I find the information I need?” and “Which meeting should I actually attend?” instead of just “Who’s my boss’s boss?”
When you help your new hire get the lay of the land, you’re giving them confidence. They know where to turn when they’re stuck. They understand how to find what they need. They can navigate your organization without constantly second-guessing themselves.
Starting somewhere new already feels overwhelming. This kind of orientation cuts through that fog and helps them find solid ground faster.
Your New Hire’s Navigation Guide: What to Include
This navigation guide is deeply unique, and it’s going to look different for different industries and positions.
To make it, I want you to put yourself in the new hire’s shoes and consider what they really need to know. Think about their specific role and what they need to do their job well.
Take note of the following areas:
Decision-makers and approvers. Who needs to sign off on their work? Who gives direction when priorities shift? Sometimes this is you, sometimes it’s a project lead, sometimes it’s a client. Be specific about when to involve each person.
Daily collaborators. Who will they actually work with day-to-day? These are the people they’ll message regularly, collaborate with on projects, or need input from to get their work done. Make specific introductions so they can start building those working relationships right away.
Information sources. Where do they find what they need? This might be a person who holds deep knowledge, but it could also be a specific Drive folder, a wiki page, a Slack channel, or a weekly meeting. For example: “Budget templates live in the Finance folder” or “Ask Marcus about client history – he’s been here six years.”
Support for when they’re stuck. Who can they turn to when they hit a problem? This might be a technical expert, a peer who’s been in the role before, or you. Be clear about what types of questions each person can help with. For example: “Sarah knows our CRM inside and out” or “Check with the team lead channel first for process questions.”
The goal here isn’t to map out your entire organization. It’s to answer one simple question for new hires: “When I need X, where do I go?”
Pro tip: Think beyond departments and job titles. Your new hire might need to know that Sarah in Marketing actually manages all the brand assets, even though that’s not in her job description. Or that the #random-questions Slack channel is where people actually get fast answers. Map the reality of how work gets done, not the theory.
Your Action Item
This week, spend 15 minutes thinking through these four areas for your new hire: decision-makers, daily collaborators, information sources, and support resources.
Then pick one action to get them oriented. Maybe it’s a 30-minute conversation where you walk through everything together. Maybe it’s creating a simple reference doc they can come back to. Maybe it’s setting up intro meetings with two key people.
Whatever fits your situation, just make sure they leave the week knowing where to turn when they need help.
A Starting Point That Gets Them Moving
This orientation – whether it’s a document, a conversation, or a mix of both – is just the starting point. It’s something for your new hire to lean on until they feel oriented and confident navigating on their own. If you created something written, keep it somewhere visible where they’ll actually look at it.
After week three, once they’ve experienced how work really flows, you may wish to revisit it together. Did you identify the right people? Are there gaps? Your new hire will naturally build their own network over time and learn who to go to for what.
And here’s a bonus: once you’ve created this guide, you can refine it and reuse it for your next new hire. Each time you onboard someone, you’ll get better at identifying what information matters most.
What’s Coming Next
Helping your new hire get the lay of the land turns a sea of strangers into allies and friendly faces. When you give them this guide, you’re not just sharing names – you’re giving them people to turn to when they need help, answers to lean on when they’re stuck, and a way to feel less alone in those overwhelming first weeks.
Tomorrow: We’ll explore how to help your new hire establish ideal working conditions that set them up for sustainable success and prevent burnout before it starts.
Know a team leader who’s onboarding someone new? Share this challenge with them. This article is free and open for anyone to read.