For many candidates, going through a company’s onboarding process is a nerve-wracking experience. After all, they’re exploring unfamiliar territory, and that can make nearly anyone anxious. But that doesn’t mean employers shouldn’t take steps to make the process less daunting. If you’re worried your onboarding process is scary in the eyes of candidates, here are the three best tips for making your onboarding less frightening.
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Embrace a Friendly Approach
When you need to make your onboarding process less frightening, the first step to take is adopting a friendly, welcoming approach. Begin the new hire’s journey with a warm message from their manager and future colleagues and have everyone express how excited they are for the candidate to come on board. Adding a personal touch to the initial orientation also works well, as a bit of personalization shows the company values them as an individual, which new hires will typically appreciate.
Using a buddy system can also make onboarding feel more friendly. The candidate gets a point of contact who’s also a peer, and that usually makes reaching out for help less intimidating. Plus, it allows the new hire to start building an important relationship quickly.
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Provide Clear Guidance
During onboarding, few issues create anxiety like ambiguity. Fortunately, by providing clear guidance about how the process is going to unfold, it’s an easy problem to solve.
Make sure to provide new hires with a structured onboarding plan that outlines what needs accomplishing and when various activities will occur. Ideally, the plan should cover not just their orientation but also how their duties will grow over the coming weeks or months.
Defining expectations early in the process is also wise. By doing so, new hires have a clear idea of what success looks like in the eyes of their manager. Plus, it can help familiarize themselves with the nuances of their position.
Finally, have formal resources available that can answer common questions. For example, custom instructional documents for various forms that need completing can ensure that they have the details they need in easy-to-understand language. Providing access to knowledge libraries that relate to their job is similarly beneficial.
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Offer Support to Ease the Process
If you want your onboarding process to feel less intimidating, make sure that new hires have ample support throughout the process. Have managers schedule regular check-ins to gauge the employee’s progress and answer questions that arise. Offer training to familiarize them with key systems or processes and actively encourage new hires to reach out if they need clarification.
Ultimately, all of the strategies above can make onboarding significantly less frightening, ensuring your new hires view the experience as a genuine treat. At Essium, we help recruitment firms make onboarding less scary not only for new hires but also for themselves. Our solution lets you leverage automation to improve processes and streamline workflows, all while simplifying compliance.
If you’re looking for an onboarding solution that simplifies onboarding for everyone, Essium wants to hear from you. Contact us to learn more about our cutting-edge onboarding solutions and how we can help your staffing agency thrive.
