Offer Accepted? You are so not done! Five Onboarding Tips for Hiring Managers

I just got off the phone with a hiring manager who got his top candidate to accept the position and he starts in a couple of weeks.

He's thrilled and excited, right? Not really. More like anxious and concerned.

This hiring manager gets it. He understands that his organization has wooed this candidate with an impressive selection process and said all the right things of how things SHOULD or COULD be in their culture, but not necessarily how things ARE.

This manager is perceptive and right to be concerned. He knows that once the new hire actually comes onboard and starts to see the realities of the culture, he may start to question his decision.

Sound familiar?

It happens all too often that the "hand-off" from selection to onboarding is not handled properly or at all. Hiring managers tend to be "done" when the offer is made and just expect the new hire to participate in some brief orientation exercises, then hit the ground running. The new hires usually hit the ground, all right, but not running.

So, as a hiring manager what is the solution? As in most business situations, the best strategy is to be prepared.


Here are five tips to prepare for a successful onboarding of your new hires:

1. Talk to her before her start date. Do not let there be a void of communication from the offer to Day One. Stuff happens in the meantime--communicate it!

2. List the top things that the new hire needs to do in her first months on the job. Make sure that they are "on the job" learning activities that also contribute to the team's objectives.

3. Identify people in the organization who can make this person successful. Create the list then reach out to them and tell them why you need their support in building the right relationships with your new hire.

4. Work with your HR partner. Get input from your internal resources on how to build an onboarding plan, what organizational support is available and ask them to support you in the delivery of the onboarding process.

5. Give feedback early and often. This is the most overlooked and most critical component of an effective onboarding experience. New hires cannot change what they don't know, and they usually don't ask. You as the hiring manager are the best person to give feedback and allow them the opportunities to adjust before it's too late.

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