A first job can give anyone the jitters but if mentored correctly, they can be an asset to the organisation, elaborates Unnati Narang
Adjusting to a new person in the team can be bit of a task. However, with a little effort, companies can be sure that a fresher in a team is not only welcomed but becomes a crucial part of the team within no time. So what can the senior members of a team and management do to turn a fresher into an asset?
Old vs new
Senior management often view freshers as inexperienced and hence, not sufficiently skilled. When they come in, they tend to challenge set patterns. This is the first hurdle to freshers becoming an asset to any team. “Given that experienced professionals are used to a certain way of working which has delivered results in the past, it is quite natural that the mind gets conditioned to follow the same. It is a problem of mindset which every experienced professional goes through when challenged or exposed to a new idea. At the same time, from a fresher’s perspective, he may be reluctant to bring forth or share a new idea with his seniors due to the fear of being rejected or ridiculed,” says Deepa Poncha, Head, Human Resources, Centrum Group.
To avoid such a stalemate, organisations must go back to their books and take a leaf out of Fredrick Taylor’s mental revolution concepts. “Negativity at a workplace is nothing but conflict of opinions based on prior experiences. For example, an experienced professional working on a project will have a different approach from that of a fresher. Often these situations might lead to negativity due to strong biases. To mitigate unconstructive emotions at the workplace, it is essential for the companies to design strong communication platforms to motivate and encourage team building exercises to fabricate strong interpersonal skills and positive attitude,” says Prashant Bhatnagar, Director Hiring, Sapient – India.
Mentoring newbies
It is important for experienced professionals to see the other side of having a fresher in the team. Saravanan, Head, Engineering at Nyootv, has been part of several mixed teams where freshers and seniors work together. What qualities does he see freshers bringing to the table? “Since they have no work experience, they tend to work harder. They can be put to work on any technology; this is not always possible with experienced professionals who have already trained and worked on specific technology for a while and are reluctant to change. In a typical work situation, some of the mundane tasks can be delegated to freshers.
Most companies have a training period. This acts as a window for the fresher to learn. In the initial months, the fresher becomes an asset to the company by way of what he learns, thereby adding value in subsequent periods. But for that learning to take place, a supportive team is critical,” says Gupta. While the fresher should come in with an open mind, a large part of the responsibility of turning the person into a crucial asset to the team lies with the company.
Size matters
How does the size of any team affect the role of a fresher? “Generally, freshers feel more comfortable in smaller teams; where they are not afraid to speak out and voice their opinions. In larger teams, freshers have a tendency to blend with the crowd, as they take on a role of a quiet observer. For a fresher to be an asset to a team, the team manager should bring out the best in him,” says Prashant Bhatnagar, Director Hiring, Sapient – India.
Ultimately, for anyone to be an asset to the team, shared interest must prevail over personal interest of individual team members.
*This article originally appeared in the Economic Times on November 3, 2012*
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