New HR Job? How to “Sell” New Ideas and Get Buy-In

By Jezabel Southard

Posted on February 9, 2018

Have a new HR job? You likely have fresh ideas to offer. And most of the time, that’s just what employers want.

Companies often hire new HR professionals hoping these individuals, with their unique career experience, will offer new perspectives on the organization’s toughest problems.

As many innovators know, however, merely having a fresh idea isn’t enough. You’ll also need the support of those who can help turn your ideas into reality. At work, that often means getting buy-in from supervisors and executives.

Here’s how to turn your vision into a compelling, actionable plan:

Dig in to the details.

Leadership’s day-to-day task is to think in terms of vision and overall strategy. To do this, they often delegate the “nitty-gritty” details to managers, who take the vision and turn it into reality. Your organization’s leadership may love an idea. but they may be hesitant to adopt it without confidence in your understanding of the details.

To generate buy-in, start by learning about the organization inside and out. What is the major problem this idea will solve? What smaller problems might it also solve? What problems might it cause, and how can those be prevented or minimized? What opportunities might it create, and how can they be seized?

Whenever you can, back up your answers with data. For instance, if you’re offering a way to reduce employee turnover, note the company’s current turnover rate. Then, compare it with the rate at similar companies that use this strategy, or cite research showing how much the turnover rate drops under similar plans.

Set out the “how-to.”

Once you’ve described (with data) the lay of the land and the expected changes under your new idea, lay out a realistic “how-to” regarding implementation. List who will be involved, what they’ll need to do and when, and why these steps are necessary to get your anticipated results.

While a clear how-to can help show higher-ups your plan can work, resist the urge to become too bogged down in the details. Your goal is to show one possible path toward success, not to build the entire system.

Call in reinforcements.

Finally, don’t hesitate to talk to an experienced recruiter. Staffing firms specialize in helping human resources managers solve problems – particularly when those problems are related to struggles with finding, hiring or keeping the talent you need. Your recruiter can offer valuable information and tips on getting the buy-in you need to make your idea a reality.

At TERRA Staffing, our recruiters have earned our clients’ trust – and they’ve rewarded us by voting TERRA Staffing Group to Inavero’s Best of Staffing® – Clients list several times in recent years. If you are in a new HR job and want to learn how we can help your staffing strategies succeed, contact us today. We offer a wide range of staffing services to help you meet your workforce or career goals

Categories: HR and Management Advice, Staffing Tips & Recruiting Trends

Tags: HR job, Starting a New HR Job, Tips for New HR Managers

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