Getting the Right People Onboard

Hiring the right people for your organization is crucial to the success of your business. To recruit the best people, you need to know what your company requires. Is the person a good cultural fit? What type of mindset are you looking for? Does a great resume make a good employee? It is important to take time to assess who will be the best asset for your organization and use that as a foundation instead of just looking at the skills of the person. The right person can help to take your organization to new levels and a poor fit can create chaos. Almost all organizations can tell of hiring a brilliant individual only to find that he or she does not work well with others or fit in the culture. To ensure that the incoming person is the right choice you need:

Create a clear job description: The description should outline what the person will be doing, the responsibilities, skills and experience needed. This is the basic requirements for bringing the right person onboard, and important to ensure recruiters and hiring managers are on the same page. Make sure to consider business objectives in making this hire. Consider what skills, personality traits and qualification are needed to excel in this position.

Interviewing process:  Behavior based interviewing techniques can get to the attitude and thought process of the candidate. Ask them to describe how they would have handled challenges in other organizations and some challenges your organization has faced. The best candidates may not be the best fit for your organization, so it makes sense to try to get to underlying personality and attitudes. Take time to determine whether the person’s personal values align with the values of the organization and find out what motivates them at work.

Involve others: Determine who in your business should be involved in the selection process. If a potential client will be working across the business, you may want to involve representatives from different parts of the organization. If the person will be working on a team it might be helpful to set up an informal setting in which the team members can meet the potential new colleague. It will also be an opportunity for the client to determine whether he or she is a good fit for your organization. Better to find out now before a formal offer is made. This process helps both co-workers and the candidate understand whether he or she is the right person for the position and the culture. Team members can also alleviate concerns the potential employee may have while interacting with the candidate. This also creates some ownership for the team and if hired, the candidate may feel supported by fellow team members knowing the team has already shown backing and consent for their hiring.

Onboarding: Finding the right person is only the first step and your onboarding process can make or break the deal and find the person settling in or thinking, “Did I make a mistake!”  There is nothing more important than your onboarding process. According to Wynhurst Consulting group 22% of staff turnover occurs in the first 45 days of employment!” They also found employees that go through a structured onboarding process are 58% more likely to stay with the company for more than three years.

To ensure the person feels welcome onboarding should start before the person even arrives on day one. The best organizations contact the new hire and welcome them to the team. The let them know what to expect day one and offer an agenda. Some Great Places to Work actually meet the new employee in the parking lot to reduce the initial anxiety. To reduce the boredom of paperwork on day one, much can be done through technology before he or she starts.

Once greeted the person should be escorted to the proper location for their onboarding experience. Some organizations have CEOs and Leaders welcome the person and at Doctor’s Hospital of Sarasota, the HR Director then says, “Congratulations, you made the cut. We are very selective who we bring into our team.” Imagine how that would feel to your new employee. Other ways to engage the person is to have their desk and cards ready for them day one, and some sort of welcome package. Some organizations provide an org chart with pictures and give the person a tour. Assigning the new person a buddy to whom they can go to with questions can reduce anxiety and help them understand to feel free to ask anything.

By taking time to put a process in place that will help you hire the right person, then make them feel an integral part of your team, you have a better chance of engaging them and reducing the chance they will leave. Intentional thought into this process is time and money well spent!