Hired a direct report with more general experience but none in my niche. She said she was willing to work her way up.

But as her start date nears, she's said the role isn't really junior (it is) and she can't wait to standardize/redesign processes (that's my job, and she doesn't even know the industry!). She also told me a different department should rely less on freelancers as if that was news and she'd be able to make the call.

I'm now sort of dreading managing her. How can I reel her in?

Be direct and firm. “So glad to have you on the team. You bring a wealth of experience that will do a lot to help move us forward. I appreciate your enthusiasm. I want you to make sure it doesn’t overshadow the need for you to really understand the industry and to integrate into the vision I have for our team. I’m happy to listen to any ideas you have, but I want to also make sure you fully understand the “why’s” of where we are first. ‘Preciate ya!”

OP, from how you’re talking, it seems you want a low level follower. Right now, companies would kill for motivated employees who want to show impact. Showing enthusiasm for the new job and starting to think about where she can have impact is great! Further, job crafting, or thinking about how the role can be evolved to play to the hired candidate’s strengths, is how employers capitalize on the unique skill set each employee brings, which sets the stage for employee motivation and impact.

I’d always rather have an engaged go-getter than a low level lifer.

You may want to take a step back and reset on what you want in an employee. Sounds like you may be looking for someone who isn’t upwardly motivated and will provide stability. In that case, hire someone with fewer skills than the job requires, mold them in the way you want, and get ready for someone who is 9-5 for life and won’t be able to adjust or grow if the job ever needs to shift.

Set expectations now *in writing*; do not waiver or let this person adjust the role and responsibilities. If you aren't clear or if you give the impression she can do what she wants, she will, and it'll be a nightmare.

Withdraw her offer, there’s no reeling in snakes.

Maybe I’m naive, and I’d always trust your gut, but playing devil’s advocate, I just see a new hire female who is excited and wants to make an impact and impress her boss and feel proud about her new role. You’re their boss, she is your direct report. I’d be surprised if she already has intentions of trying to take your role. By saying her role isn’t really junior, she could just be trying to show she is going to be a somebody for you versus a bare minimum no body, wanting to take on extra responsibility for you. If your job is to standardize processes, maybe she is thinking she will help you with that under your guidance and direction. The freelancers item, she may have just taken a risk sharing a thought with you because she wanted to show you she is trying to be strategic and is of value.

I get what you are saying, she’s new, she doesn’t know the industry or your company, she shouldn’t be saying what she’s saying. But maybe she is insecure about those things so she is trying to come up with things because she wants you to value her and be excited about bringing her on.

My recommendation based on reading the whole thread. Have a call before she joins and reset expectations on what the role is and see if it aligns with her goals still. Let her know you’re looking for someone to get all the daily tactical stuff done each day and if there is not room for her to grow in her role, let her know that as well.

I think most common answer is there is no malicious intent, just what you are expecting and what she is expecting may just not align and you both may not be a good pair personality wise. Being a cultural fit together is important. If you already don’t like her, there is a big chance you and her will both not be successful working together.

I'm unsubscribing now, but thanks to the people who've used this thread to argue for my recruit's weird overreaches. It's given me real insight into the psychology of someone who would act this way—and made me very sure I need to rescind the offer tomorrow morning, so I can quickly find someone who'll actually do the job I hired for.

Can I ask why you would want to hire someone and expect them to not notice or try to fix obvious deficiencies? Also why would you want them to consistently have to work with known disadvantages,but expect efficiency,seamless operation, and still have it appear as if they're part of a team? It makes little to no sense at all to hire someone to have responsibilities that overlap your responsibilities,but try to suppress their efforts to just do their job. Also this suppression of their ability to function is very visible to the employees working with this person and reporting to this person. Perhaps a little less insecurity is what is required?

OP gives off a very

" I have worked for this company for 25 years all my processes are perfect" vibe.

You are just intimidated and want someone to sit down and shut up and follow orders.

Yes while I think that there needs to be a period of observation and training before process improvement suggestions are made. However you immediately rejecting anything and saying your processes have no gaps and can not be improved is ignorant.

You should be thrilled that she wants to help the company. Continuous improvement is something every department should strive for. A fresh set of eyes is sometimes needed and usually that comes from someone outside of the industry.

Also just because she is excited about one thing doesn't mean that she will neglect her actual job duties. That is how you build an employee ( and a department up) sure someone can be hired for something but that doesn't mean they are not allowed to voice opinions on things outside of their job description.

Why post something to fishbowl for advice if you’re just going to argue with everyone in the comments? 😂

It seems like this person is taking initiative in areas where there are some gaps. If this bothers you, it might be a good idea to review your current roadmaps for these processes before your new hire's start date. This will help you identify the gaps and determine what changes need to be made. Once your new hire starts, it's important to review their role and your expectations with them again. Remember that no position is a perfect fit for anyone, especially when someone is starting out and facing challenges from the beginning. Try to see things from their perspective and give them a chance, but if it doesn't work out, it's better to let them go now than to keep looking for that perfect candidate. This may mean you'll have to do the work yourself until you find the right person.

Withdraw the offer NOW

Ugh I would try to rescind but I could just be reacting poorly bc this hits close to home. I hired someone like this once and they were a nightmare to manage. Did not want to spend time learning key aspects of their actual job and instead worked around me to try and (poorly) implement changes and new processes just for the sake of doing it. They were totally negative and a generally bad vibe bc they felt like they were entitled to more in their job without earning it. They negotiated really hard at the offer stage too, coming back with some delusional idea of what their comp should be until we talked it down. I should have known then.

A lot of career or industry transitioners feel this urgency to work their way up faster than usual. Until they drop this pride they will struggle

Agree with some of the others…rescind your offer. Red flags for sure, and will only get worse. Trust your gut, and find another candidate who is a better fit.

So if she hasn’t started yet, how does she tell you all this out of curiosity ?

Reading this and some of the other comments, I don’t think it’s going to work out if she’s already not understanding the scope of her work before starting. To people who say her creativity shouldn’t be shut down and her ideas should be listened to - yeah, after she has had a chance to learn her actual job and proved that she’s good at it. Hate people who get into a new role and immediately start spitting out ideas based on what they’re used to.

I've read some threads and comments by others OP. From what I understood from OP, new hire has some experience but is still early in a career (not a new grad) just in a different industry. It sounds like a new hire believes her position is one to make decisions, drive, and implement change. OP is not overly thrilled by attitude as a concern that may not want to do the job assigned.

Here's what I'm interpreting OP, you're overly concerned she doesn't have your industry specific experience... although this is the case, all skills are transferable... get over that she will learn industry and be able to hit the floor running if you hire the skills needed for the job. You have two options:
1. Rescind the offer like many others pointed out, and you both move on your way.
2. Be an actual manager and reconnect with the new hire. Let them know you're concerned by the comments they are making. You're excited by their enthusiasm. However, you want to set clear expectations and let them evaluate if this is the role they want. Explain this position is to support you and your initiatives. That although the you welcome suggestions within the first year, you expect this person to focus on learning their responsibilities and the cycle of their industry before they will be able to spearhead any change management projects. You'll have an opportunity to evaluate their work, and if their are excelling at their tasks, you'll be happy to give them more responsibilities. Provide clear examples of what they will be working on for the next 6 to 8 months. If there are projects, let them know exactly what they will own and what you will own. Let them know the comments of what they are stating are your responsibilities, and you don't foresee them owning of that until they have proven X,Y,and Z skills, which you'll be happy to develop them on and that can take approximately X amount of time. If they don't feel the role aligns with what they would like to do, then it is best for them to decide not to move forward, but you hope they see the value and come onboard. You can also let them know you both can revaluate at 4 months into the role if this is still a fit.

Now, in all honestly, per your comments, I think you made up your mind, which you just want validation that is ok to rescind offer. My suggestion is if you don't think you can manage them rescind, but if you can, then still onboard them. This is part of your professional development.

She is just excited about the offer and is already eager to make a difference. What's wrong with that? So what if the ideas she mentioned won't work, SHE HASN'T STARTED YET!