How to Set Effective New Employee Goals (+ Template and Examples)

Establishing goals for new hires is crucial for their smooth transition and alignment with company objectives.

This guide will share best practices for setting effective goals for new employees. We also included a template and examples so that you have all the tools to set clear goals for improved new hire performance, engagement, and retention.

Best practices for setting goals for new hires

Setting goals can be overwhelming to a new hire, so how do you ensure that you set realistic and relevant goals?

1. Identify goals before hiring

Write why you’re hiring an employee, the tasks needed, and why it’s essential. Then, use this as a guide to achieving their performance goals.

For instance, you need to hire a designer to help the content team. Their goal could be to deliver X designs in Y time.

2. Setting goals shouldn’t be a top-down process

Goal setting should be a collaborative process between the new hires and their managers or HR.

Including your new hires in the process will encourage open communication. As a result, you can ensure that the goals are realistic, relevant, and meaningful to the new hires. It also gives the new hires a sense of ownership and accountability for their development, which can increase their engagement and motivation to achieve the goals.

3. Construct achievable goals

Both performance and developmental goals must be attainable, or employees will feel discouraged or disengaged. A new hire should not have the same performance objectives as a long-tenured employee.

4. Align new hire goals with your organizational goals

When new hires understand how their role contributes to the organization’s overall success, they are more likely to be invested in their work and motivated to achieve their goals.

5. Time the goals

Use a progressive approach to time goals. To motivate new hires, start with manageable milestones. Then, increase task difficulty as the onboarding period ends.

6. Setting goals is the start. Follow up and offer support

Report progress often and follow up with feedback. Share constructive feedback to guide employees toward reaching their goals.

For instance, if one of the goals is to complete an IT onboarding training program or learn a new tool, set up check-ins at the end of each training week to gauge their progress and provide help if needed.

Check-ins could be via Slack, email, regular meetings, or in-person chats.

How do you set SMART new hire goals (for performance and development)?

Performance goals

Performance goals relate to job duties and business objectives. Setting performance goals is important because managers can assign tasks relevant to business success and give employees role clarity.

For example, the sales team has to sign fifty new customers quarterly. A SMART goal would look like this:

• Specific: Get six new high-value customers
• Measurable: They must bring in at least two new customers each month
• Achievable: Does the employee have the skill set to bring in these numbers? What other skills do they need to master to achieve this? Can they learn this skill before the end of the quarter?
• Relevant: This goal will help the company achieve the yearly target of 200 customers
• Time-bound: The employee should reach the goal by the end of the quarter

A non-SMART goal would be: “Bring in new customers.” Again, this goal isn’t specific, measurable, or time-bound, even if it is relevant to the role.

Professional development goals

Personal development goals are employees’ individual goals relevant to advancing their careers.

One example of a development goal is to enroll in an advanced sales prospecting course or emotional intelligence class.

A SMART professional development goal should look like this:

• Specific: The employee should complete an advanced sales prospecting course
• Measurable: The employee sets milestones for evaluation
• Achievable: The workload is adjusted so the employee has enough time to attend and complete the course
• Relevant: Sales prospecting empowers sales managers to communicate effectively with prospects. With this skill, sales reps can sign more new clients, impacting the organization’s growth
• Time-bound: They are to complete this course in four weeks

After creating these SMART goals, divide them into 30-60-90 day plans, as seen in the examples below.

New hire goals template following the 30-60-90 onboarding framework

This template provides a structured yet flexible framework for onboarding new employees across various roles, ensuring they understand their responsibilities and can begin contributing effectively from day one.

Days 1-30: Learning and understanding stage

• Review company policies and procedures: By the end of the first week, review the company’s policies, procedures, and organizational structure to understand the working environment
• Learn about the product/service: By the end of week 2, become familiar with the company’s core products or services. Use the product yourself (if applicable) and review customer feedback to understand its strengths and areas for improvement
• Meet with key stakeholders: By the end of week 3, schedule and attend meetings with key stakeholders to learn about their roles, challenges, and expectations
• Understand the company’s mission and values: By the end of week 4, meet with HR or leadership to discuss the company’s mission, values, and culture to understand how your role aligns with the organization’s overall objectives

Days 31-60: Training and collaboration stage

• Complete role-specific training: By the end of week 5, complete all necessary role-specific training programs or certifications to ensure proficiency in the tools and processes required for your position
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams: By the end of week 6, schedule and attend meetings with cross-functional teams to discuss ongoing projects and explore opportunities for collaboration
• Analyze current processes: By the end of week 7, review existing processes relevant to your role and identify potential areas for improvement. Prepare a report with your findings to share with your manager
• Update and align strategies: By the end of week 8, review and, if necessary, update strategies, guidelines, or plans within your role. Present your proposed updates to the relevant stakeholders for feedback

Days 61-90: Accountability and contribution stage

• Develop and present a strategic plan: By the end of week 10, develop a strategic plan or project plan relevant to your role. Present it to your manager and key stakeholders for feedback and alignment
• Execute initial projects: By the end of week 11, begin executing your strategic plan or key projects. Ensure you regularly check in with your manager and team members to track progress and make adjustments as needed
• Measure and report on key metrics: By the end of week 12, identify key performance metrics for your role and begin tracking them
• Identify long-term goals: By the end of week 12, discuss and set long-term career and performance goals with your manager, aligning them with the company’s objectives

Role-based new hire goals examples

We have selected three job roles and created 37 goals within the 30-60-90-day framework.

Job role: Content marketing manager

Days 1-30: The Learning and understanding stage

1. Review previous marketing campaigns: By the end of week 2, review at least five previous marketing campaigns and create a summary document detailing key takeaways and areas for improvement
2. Speak with a few customers: By the end of week 3, schedule and conduct interviews with at least three customers to gather feedback and insights beyond the buyer persona
3. Understand the brand style guide: By the end of week 4, review and become proficient in the company’s brand style guide, including reviewing at least five previous blog posts, ebooks, reports, and white papers
4. Meet an HR executive to learn the company culture and values: By the end of week 4, schedule and attend a meeting with an HR executive to learn about the company culture and values
5. Schedule meetings with key stakeholders and direct reports: By the end of week 4, schedule and attend meetings with at least three key stakeholders and direct reports to introduce yourself and learn about their goals and expectations

Days 31-60: Training and collaboration stage

1. Understand the existing content strategy: By the end of week 5, review and become proficient in the company’s existing content strategy
2. Update the buyer persona and ICP scripts: By the end of week 7, update the buyer persona and ICP scripts and present them to the team for review and feedback
3. Update the content strategy and make necessary changes to the editorial guidelines: By the end of week 8, update the content strategy, make changes required to the editorial guidelines, and present them to the team for review and feedback

Days 61-90: Accountability and contribution stage

1. Create a solid content plan: By the end of week 10, create a solid content plan and present it to the team for review and feedback
2. Start publishing content: By the end of week 12, start publishing at least one piece per week and promote it on social media
3. Create solid content briefs: By the end of week 12, create at least three solid content briefs and present them to the team for review and feedback

Job role: Account manager

Days 1-30: The Learning and understanding stage

1. Get to understand the working environment: By the end of day 3, complete a thorough review of the company’s policies, procedures, and organizational structure
2. Schedule introductory meetings with internal and external stakeholders: By the end of day 5, schedule and attend introductory meetings with at least three internal and three external stakeholders to understand their challenges, priorities, and vision
3. Identify the company’s value proposition, culture, and competitors: By the end of day 7, create a document outlining the company’s value proposition, culture, and key competitors
4. Meet your team members and other members of the organization: By the end of day 7, schedule and attend meetings with at least 3 team members and three other members from outside departments
5. Reviewing past company accounts: By the end of day 14, review at least five past company accounts to uncover trends and mistakes
6. Review existing contracts, exit clauses, and terms and conditions: By the end of day 30, review and become proficient in the company’s existing contracts, exit clauses, and terms and conditions

Days 31-60: Training and collaboration stage

1. Know your customers: By the end of day 31, schedule and conduct one-on-one meetings with at least three customers to understand their pain points
2. Create an account plan: By the end of day 40, create an account plan with specific, measurable objectives and goals and present it to the team for review and feedback
3. Analyze the company’s existing process and procedure: By the end of day 50, analyze the company’s existing process and procedure and present a report with suggested improvements to the team for review and feedback
4. Create concrete customer research: By the end of day 60, create a report on customer research and present it to the team for review and feedback

Days 61-90: Accountability and contribution stage

1. Collaborate with other team members: By day 62, schedule and attend at least two collaborative meetings with other team members to ensure alignment and progress toward objectives and goals
2. Create weekly and monthly reports: By day 65, create and submit weekly and monthly reports on key metrics and progress towards objectives and goals
3. Close deals and build momentum: By day 70, close at least one deal and build momentum towards achieving account plan objectives and goals
4. Track critical metrics: By day 90, track key metrics and present a report on progress toward objectives and goals to the team for review and feedback

Job role: Customer service manager

Days 1-30: Learning and understanding stage

1. Meet team members: By the end of day 5, schedule and attend meetings with at least 3 team members to introduce yourself and learn about their roles and responsibilities
2. Learn tech stack: By the end of day 7, review and become proficient in the company’s technology stack, including any necessary training
3. Check product reviews: By the end of day 10, review at least five customer reviews of the product and create a report on key takeaways and areas for improvement
4. Learn about the product and use it yourself: By the end of day 28, become proficient by using the product yourself and complete any necessary training
5. Start introducing yourself to customers: By the end of day 30, schedule and conduct introductory meetings with at least three customers to introduce yourself and learn about their needs and expectations

Days 31-60: Training and collaboration stage

1. Review account assignments: By the end of day 40, review all assigned accounts and create a report on key takeaways and areas for improvement
2. Meet sales partners to discuss accounts: By the end of day 50, schedule and attend meetings with at least two sales partners to discuss assigned accounts and align on strategies for success
3. Cross-sectional collaboration: By the end of day 60, schedule and attend at least one cross-sectional collaboration meeting to align with other teams on strategies for success
4. Self-evaluation: By the end of day 63, conduct a self-evaluation to identify areas for improvement and create an action plan for personal and professional development

Days 61-90: Accountability and contribution stage

1. Check-in with clients: By the end of day 70, schedule and conduct check-in meetings with at least three clients to gather feedback and ensure satisfaction
2. Identify opportunities for upselling: By the end of day 75, identify at least two opportunities for upselling and present them to the team for review and feedback
3. Improve the process by understanding the customer journey: By the end of day 90, review and understand the customer journey and create a report with suggested improvements to the process and present it to the team for review and feedback

Why is setting goals important for new hires?

An effective onboarding strategy should include well-defined goals. Starting a new job is like moving to a new location: you’d get lost without a map or directions from people.

The same applies to employees: without clear goals, employees would need to learn to read between the lines regarding performance expectations. Some will be able to do that, but some won’t. However, that should not determine whether your new hires can succeed in your organization.

Goals provide clarity, vision, and motivation

Most new employees want to impress their managers, supervisors, and peers and show they can do the job.

But how can they impress if they don’t know the standard they have to reach?

Thus, clear goals tell them what’s important to the organization. Plus, they provide a sense of direction and offer role clarity. So your people know what’s expected of them to do a good job.

Setting goals the right way:

• Ensures that employees align with your business objectives
• When employees know their expectations, it increases their time-to-productivity and boosts engagement
• Allows employees to adjust their personal development goals for a future in the company
• For employees with self-doubt, setting goals and providing mentorship would boost their confidence

Goals serve as guides for managers

When you set measurable goals, direct managers and supervisors know what to provide feedback and appraisals on, especially during probation period reviews.

While there are different performance evaluation frameworks, the best and unbiased way to measure performance is to consider their success concerning what you want them to achieve.

So, goals help managers set KPIs and benchmarks to measure employee performance without bias. It guides them on what to review and the kind of review to give.

Also, based on how the employees achieve or don’t achieve their goals, you’d know how to structure their learning and development because you’ve seen their strengths and weaknesses. Then offer additional training.

Accelerate new hire onboarding and performance with Deel Engage

Effectively set and manage new employee goals to enhance their integration, performance, and alignment with company objectives.

DataGuard used Deel Engage to cut time-to-productivity in half and ensure consistent onboarding experiences across locations.

Use Deel Engage to:

1. Clarify role and level-specific expectations and showcase career growth opportunities from day one
2. Set goals and assign them to relevant teams and hires
3. Assign company and department-specific onboarding and training journeys
4. See the progress of a team member's onboarding from day one
5. Give feedback based on their performance
6. Automate probation period reviews (e.g., schedule the first probation review 60 days after the hire date and then a final one at the end of the probation)

Additionally, Deel HR, our truly global HRIS solution, is always included for free.

Book a demo to see how our solutions will help set your new hires for success from day one.