From "Career Kick" - Advice for sharpening your job skills. This month: How to welcome a new employee.

1. Prepare the Team
Before your new employee arrives, inform your team that a new member will be joining soon. Give a little background information such as where the new hire comes from and what their credentials are, and let them know what position they’ll be filling. (Don’t worry, they’ll begin the social media stalking from there.)

2. Give a Tour
As soon as the new hire gets settled into their workspace, you should bring them around the building for a tour. Make sure they know where the restrooms, offices and kitchen are, as well as where to park. Throughout the tour, be sure to stop by each current employee’s workspace to introduce them. It’s nearly impossible to remember everybody’s names, but it’s a great start to a new chapter.

3. Make a Schedule
The first week at a new job is often filled with lots of paperwork and waiting around. Create a daily outline of tasks and meetings so your new hire isn’t confused and wasting time. Let them know they won’t be expected to master everything immediately, but at least they’ll feel comfortable as they’re integrated into the daily routine.

4. Take Them Out to Lunch
The first day at a new job can be an exhausting experience – you’re meeting a bunch of new people and trying to process so much information. Take the pressure off by inviting your new hire to lunch. It’s an easy way to get to know the newbie better and establish a friendship outside the office.

5. Assign a Mentor
Help your new hire learn the ropes by pairing them up with an office veteran, somebody who has plenty of experience and can offer guidance as they get acclimated to their new environment. It gives them a personal connection where they can ask questions and get feedback. It also helps them immediately establish a rapport with their co-workers.

6. Hand Out Company Swag
Make the new hire feel part of the team right away by giving them some logoed products such as a jacket, backpack, tumbler and pen. Choose the right items and they can put them to proudly, sporting the items outside of work and generate visibility for your company. Not only is it good business sense — it's what you do as a company.