The art of new hire onboarding

It’s been a busy 2022 for me but this weekend I was intentional about taking a breath, putting pen to paper and organizing my thoughts.?I was motivated to write about new hire onboarding and what better topic to reflect on 30 days into a new role.?My journey navigating the hiring process as a candidate reaffirmed my views around the beautiful differentiator onboarding can be.?In this post you’ll find guiding principles that I’ve leveraged as a talent acquisition leader to enhance onboarding effectiveness.

Design around respect

Think of a time in life when you met someone, later learned something about them and realized you had little context for the depth of their personal story.?We all carry these stories, which of course remain true when donning the hat of a job seeker. That’s why I love a hiring process that centers around the principle of respect.?Respect for diversity, someone’s time, their faith, and the belief they have in themselves.?Belief that may be known or at times belief that you have the privilege to help uncover.

Developing hiring processes that respect someone’s human dignity and suspend judgment will set the foundation for success. ?You win on multiple fronts when you take this approach as initial impressions stick with candidates throughout their onboarding journey and act as a pull for future candidates to engage with your team.?

Five-star service

A career in talent acquisition has provided me an insiders view of the job offer process and the failures that can come with it if not managed with care.?For a candidate, the offer to join a new employer can be both uplifting and unnerving.?Let’s conduct an exercise that breaks down dialogue between a recruiter and a candidate…

Recruiter: ?Congratulations! I am offering you the .9 FTE technician job for $20.76 per hour, it’s eligible for shift differentials and comes with a $1,000 sign on bonus that has a tiered repayment clause. You will accrue paid time off and your medical benefit eligibility starts the first day of next month. Do you have any questions?

? Candidate:?No, that sounds good, thank you!

? What the candidate is feeling:?Umm, I think I’m excited?

Recruiter:?You’ll want to give notice to your current employer as your start date will be the 13th.?An onboarding specialist will send a background check form that must be filled out immediately, a government I-9 document that we’re required to keep on file and directions on where to go for a drug screen.?Make sure to complete the drug screen next week or your start date will be pushed back.?

? Candidate: ?Great, thanks again.

???What the candidate is feeling:?Gulp!

This recruiter would benefit from a coach, but my point ?- what is routine for a recruiter is anything but routine for a candidate.?It’s smart to shape your processes around peak celebratory points that capture the power of the moment.?Memory makers that will be talked about at the dinner table, shared via social media and remembered when filling out an experience survey.?The principle here is to treasure the rewards excellent service can yield.?This type of service can come in the form of turning complex into simple, taking the angst out of unknowns, pleasant surprises and not allowing any new hire to feel less than as they prepare for day 1.?

Hire to retain

Time for a few details about my recent new hire journey and how the team at Bon Secours Mercy Health designed a hiring process that doubled as a retention tool.?For employers to do this, they need to tell a connected and truthful story that is easily understood by candidates.?Candidates can then align this truth to their personal drivers.

Some of mine: ??

• Being part of a Health System that celebrates diversity and operates with the highest integrity. ??
• ?Working alongside servant leaders who stress accountability and drive impactful change. ??
• ?Having a team who feel called to their work and are dedicated to continuous improvement.

My hiring process aligned to personal beliefs and made me feel like I too was being called to work here.?With that, what was shared pre hire needed to hold true post hire or the retention tool I mentioned would be paper thin. ?And how sweet the sound when it all comes together, which happened here and should be any employer’s goal for their new hires.

Call to action

I’ll end with one of my favorite things to do, which is to offer the opportunity to be part of something special, follow your calling and/or help others follow theirs by starting a career with us today.?

Discover a career where you can be you