Certifying Skills for Entry-Level Team Members

Once entry-level team members prove themselves to be reliable and skillful, they rightly expect more. Even hourly, temporary, and short-term contractors seek validation after they have shown themselves to be an asset to the team. In addition to higher compensation, freshly battle-tested team members desire the opportunity to grow and prove themselves at more complex tasks and responsibilities.  

For managers, the line between rookie and established team member is not always easy to discern. Some newbies get there quickly, while others take a long time to develop. Rewarding those who deserve it is essential for retention and a positive work climate. Knowing how to mark progress is a critical assessment for leaders and the team. 

Good leaders work with the team to establish key learning goals and skills that can be demonstrated by those new on the job. Creating steps or levels where new team members can showcase their skills can prove highly motivational, as well as clarifying. As novices become certified or endorsed at each level, usually by completing a set of challenges or by passing an inspection or test of their skills, they can begin to see their own progress. And so can managers. 

With clear lines of development to mark progress, leaders can reward those who advance appropriately and without relational bias. By giving more rewards to any new team member when they become certified at the next level, the pride in developing new skills becomes infectious. Those who want to prove themselves become fixated on reaching the next step. They even egg each other on.  

A word of caution. Good leaders avoid youthful labels to acknowledge successive levels, such as gold stars, animal names, and hokey comparisons (such as rowboats, sailboats, and speedboats), which might draw derision from the more tenured team members. 

Instead, they simply acknowledge each level as it is reached with numbers or letters. This way, the new team members will instantly know where they stand in comparison to others, but not feel susceptible to ridicule. 

Talented people have an intrinsic desire to advance. When leaders create a scale new team members can climb while marking their progress, they help to distinguish who is worthy of reward and opportunity. A more precise description of skill development motivates everyone to excel, even the more seasoned team members. In fact, certifying skills for experienced team members can be a capital idea, as well.