What does your pre-employment onboarding process look like these days? You desire your new employees to acquire the necessary knowledge, skills, and behaviors in order to become effective organizational members and insiders. But how effective are your current practices?
As the competition continues to heat up for employers, pre-employment onboarding is more important than ever. Niki Jorgensen, a Forbes Councils Member, says “The time period between an accepted employment offer and the first day on the job is not only critical to extending the company culture, but also in helping to ensure new hires remain with the company for the formal onboarding process and beyond.”
Building and maintaining your successful company begins with effective recruitment practices. Avoid being ghosted by a top candidate and consider revamping these four areas of your pre-onboarding process: support of key personnel, the welcome, communication, and expectations.
Start by looking into your support of key personnel. This is where the onboarding process actually begins. Who are the people that play an integral role in remaining connected to new hires before the formal program begins? For you, this might be a hiring manager, recruiter, or even direct supervisor. Consider providing your key personnel with communication templates that can be personalized. This will result in consistent messaging that supports the culture and strengthens your brand.
Second, make a fantastic first impression and offer a friendly welcome. You can establish an inviting environment for your new employees which sets the tone for positive company culture. Consider creating a personalized welcome video that will make new hires feel appreciated and part of the team. If possible, feature future co-workers in onboarding videos. This will help new hires put faces with names before day one.
Next, identify and implement a process for ongoing communication to remain in contact with new hires. If you can continue communication with a candidate after a job is accepted, this will help to alleviate any doubts and enable them to feel a more immediate connection to the company. Try a brief weekly phone call or e-mail. You can share new information as well as ask additional questions.
Finally, set and communicate expectations. Let your new hire know exactly what to expect the first week. Consider sharing a clear, written agenda, including introductions to key personnel and team members, required training sessions, completion of online forms, etc. This may all seem routine for you. However, you can use your knowledge to set your new hire up for success. Providing an organized schedule of events in advance not only helps new employees, but also results in more engaged new hires. And that will lead to less employee turnover.
