The importance of a great onboarding experience for candidates

The beginning of a candidate’s journey with a new company can make or break careers and mean the difference between a successful hire and the need for repeating a long and costly hiring process. But some HR departments are still making the mistake of seeing the hire as time to sit back and relax, despite onboarding being crucial to the success of the appointment.

Most employers take great care in their recruitment processes, at huge financial cost as well as time investment, and while this can result in the hire of a fantastic candidate, it can’t guarantee that the candidate will be retained. Successful staff recruitment depends on a great experience for candidates throughout recruitment and into the employment itself.

With some employers mistaking candidate onboarding as another word for training, they are missing a crucial element of reducing staff turnover. And while they ensure their candidates receive the training required for the position early on in their appointment, employers often miss some of the more significant onboarding aspects and fail to meet the expectations of their candidates. In this candidate driven job market, this is a fatal mistake, with candidates making a swift exit for employers who offer better opportunities and a more comforting welcome.

Some of the most commonly reported onboarding failures include not providing new hires with a dedicated workspace, failing to make candidates feel welcome, poor communication after the appointment notification and generally creating a disorganised impression of the company.

A structured onboarding process can provide effective and engaging onboarding to new hires, paving the way for a more successful appointment.

Some tips for better onboarding:

• Foster great communication in the time between making the offer and the candidates first day on the job. Ensure that they have all the information they might require to start work.

• Don’t just focus on compliance, ensure that the candidate is made part of company culture from day one by introducing them to the rest of the team and making them feel welcome.

• Utilise an onboarding checklist which ensures that all onboarding activities are covered.

• Ensure the workspace and tools are prepared for the candidate ahead of time so that they can get to work straightaway.

A recent report has found that a 69% of employees are more likely to stay with a company for three years or more if they have had a great onboarding experience. By providing candidates with an enjoyable welcome and delivering on promises made within the recruitment process, candidates are more likely to become long and faithful employees.

Next month Security Watchdog are releasing a revolutionary piece of onboarding software called Capita Onboard. This candidate onboarding software will be the first of its kind to include background checks seamlessly integrated and serviced by Security Watchdog. If you are an HR professional that realises the importance of a great candidate onboarding experience then simply complete the form at the link below and we will let you know all the latest updates on this product.