Championing Onboarding for Candidates

Across tech markets, a three-month notice period is not uncommon but is often something left unconsidered by businesses who are hiring. A lot can change in three months, which I why onboarding and pre-onboarding processes are key. 

If businesses are wanting to scale and hire top tech talent at that senior and executive level, they need to accept that these long notice periods are normal and understand that there are ways that they can reduce the risk of losing candidates before that period is up. It all boils down to the quality of the onboarding process. 

Key Onboarding Stats 2022

• Organizations with a strong onboarding process improve new hire retention by 82% and productivity by over 70%
• Only 12% of employees strongly agree their organization does a great job of onboarding new employees
• Only 29% of new hires say they feel fully prepared and supported to excel in their role after their onboarding experience
• New hires have a 25% productivity rate in their first month, increasing to 50% in their second month, and 75% in their third month on the job
• Only 26% of new employees recall being asked for feedback on their candidate journey, despite this request improving relationships

Championing your Onboarding

According to Indeed, nearly 60% of companies report having had candidates become unresponsive after accepting a verbal offer and a surprising 65% of employers say they have had job seekers accept an offer and then not show up for their first day of work. There are lots of reasons why this might happen but having a robust onboarding strategy is can really help mitigate the risk of this happening. Onboarding doesn’t start on the first day of work, it starts as soon as a candidate has verbally accepted an offer. Some businesses refer to this as “pre-boarding”. 

“Pre-boarding” is the period of time between a candidate accepting a job offer and them starting the role. If your new hires feel neglected, ignored or forgotten about during this time (especially if it’s a 3+ month notice period), they can quickly become unenthusiastic and disillusioned about joining your business. You need to keep your hires engaged, up to date, and excited about joining your business!

Keeping hires warm through frequent communication is fundamental to keeping your new hires engaged and interested up until their start date. This is more than just dropping them a text or email every few weeks, this is about building meaningful relationships between your new hire, you, and your existing employees. You should be making steps to start to integrate them into your business and to make them feel like they are a part of the team before they walk through the door on their first day. 

This could include inviting them to business update meetings where you discuss future plans, ideas, and general business growth. If they are unable to attend the meeting in person due to work commitments, think about sending them a recording or summary email to keep them in the loop. By involving them in team meetings like this, you are already encouraging them to become invested in your business. If you’re sharing positive growth plans and news with them, it also builds up their excitement, meaning you are more likely to get a committed and driven employee when they join the business. 

Assigning a point of contact for any questions, concerns, or queries is also a great way to ensure your future employee feels supported from an early stage too. In small companies, this could even be the Founder, Director, or CEO. In larger companies, this could be a Manager or Team Leader, or even an assigned ‘mentor’ of any level. Either way, sharing advise on navigating the notice period, information on what to expect on their first day/week/month, and general support really add value to future employees. 

One of the biggest reasons new hires opt to stay with their current company instead of making the move is their sense of value. With 22% of employee turnover occurring within the first 45 days of employment, there’s no question that strategically robust onboarding programs are key to onboarding and retaining key staff. And this onboarding must start at the time of an offer acceptance. 

Three months is a long time, and your new hires’ current business is likely to make the effort more than normal to keep that employee. As a business you need to step up and ensure that you keep them engaged, excited, and in the loop so that they feel fully supported, valued, and acknowledged. 

In Summary: Key Tips for Pre-Onboarding 

• Remember the whole process counts, and onboarding doesn't start on the first day, it starts as soon as they accept your offer
• Communication is key - keep them informed and make them feel a part of the team immediately
• Provide a mentor so they feel welcome and valued straight away
• Keep them engaged by inviting them to socials and meetings

Pipelining for 2022 and Beyond: Tech and Digital Recruitment 

Get in touch with the award-winning tech recruitment partner of choice to start securing top tech and digital talent for next year. 

Recently Maxwell Bond have recently placed four full tech squads for UK businesses, and a tech team in Berlin, to help pipeline and plan for the second half of 2022. We also placed 2 executive hires for two UK businesses. Whatever you need, Maxwell Bond is on hand to deliver top tech talent, at all levels across Software Development, Cloud & DevOps, Cyber Security, Product Management, Digital Marketing, Test, and UX. 

Reach out to me directly or browse our current online vacancies.