How to transition from hiring to onboarding

After spending weeks reviewing applications and interviewing candidates, you finally find the perfect candidate for the job, you send them the formal offer letter and they accept. Now, it's time to start onboarding the new hire. Onboarding is an important part of the recruitment process that is often overlooked or not executed well.

"Working with various clients allows us a firsthand glimpse into how companies onboard contingent workers and full-time employees, and only a select few companies do it exceptionally well," says Carla Andrea, Regional Director of Beacon Hill's Technologies Division. "The critical aspects to helping get your employee's first day – and first week – off to a great start include making introductions, perhaps via a team lunch; providing a training schedule to get them through the first week; and providing them with reasons to be excited about the company as a whole, whether it be through offering some marketing tchotchkes or some other welcoming gift. All of this helps an employee feel at home in their new position. It's also an important opportunity to make a great first impression and let them know you care and will set them up for success."

According to a recent study by UrbanBound, companies with a standard onboarding process have a 50% greater new employee retention than companies that don't. However, 35% of companies put zero funding toward onboarding efforts. As an employer, it's important to establish a formal onboarding process at your company so new hires are acclimated, productive and less likely to leave for other opportunities.

Here are some tips to ensure a smooth transition from hiring to onboarding:

Start the onboarding process before you hire

Let's say you hire a new salesperson with the intention of having them perform administrative duties as well, such as answering the phone or maintaining files. When it's time to train this new employee, they'll feel cheated if you didn't explain the entire scope of the job to them during their application process. If all they want to do is sell and they aren't happy taking on those other tasks, that'll certainly create problems down the road. They might quit right away or start looking at other jobs and leave after only a few months.

You can avoid this by including elements of onboarding in the hiring process. Be specific about every aspect of the job, walk them through a typical day at work and give them tips for success. Don't make the mistake of leaving out less-attractive parts of the job just to get new hires through the door.

Create a schedule

Before your new employee's first day, put a plan together for their first couple of weeks. You don't want them coming into the office, sitting at their desk and waiting for someone to give them something to do. This will cause them to feel bored and out of place.

Instead, make a list of activities for them to complete and invite them to sit in on meetings. Also, put some time on your calendar to meet with them at the end of each day so that you can answer questions and address any issues they might be having.

Get the necessary paperwork in order

If you want a new hire's first day to be as productive as possible, avoid burying them with paperwork. In most cases, new employees fill out pages upon pages of HR documents before they can legally start working. It's best to expedite this process as much as your company will allow.

Before their first day, email them any necessary paperwork, such as tax forms and NDAs, and have them fill those out electronically. Additionally, have them send you any personal documents you need to get them up and running, such as their passport or proof of residence.

Do you need help updating your onboarding process? Professional recruiters at Beacon Hill Staffing Group can help!

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