Are you engaging your new employee from the day they accept your job offer?
Drawing the attention of top talent and acquiring them for your organization has become a complex process these days. In such a situation, Pre-Employment engagement has become more important than ever. The recruitment process is the earliest opportunity that your company can utilize to connect with a potential employee.
As a Recruiter, when you contact a candidate to attend a job interview, you establish rapport with him/her for the first time. When you take them through the interview process with the manager, discuss their previous job experience, check their references and finally make them the job offer, you are connecting more strongly with them.
Interview and selection process
The pre-hire candidate experience indicates how you treat your employees and what the applicant can expect when working for your company. A smooth, well-structured and courteous interview and selection process creates a positive experience for the applicant and goes a long way towards engaging their interest in your organization. Keep your hiring process quick and efficient to avoid losing out on valuable candidates.
Let’s consider that the candidate accepts the job offer and you have a successful placement. How do you keep the new hire engaged in the 2 to 4 weeks before the person starts with your company? How sure are you that the new hire will turn up on the official start date? A lot could happen between the candidate accepting your job offer and the date of joining. This timeframe is pretty risky considering the candidate could have second thoughts about joining your company, may feel that he/she does not gel with your company culture, or may end up accepting an offer from your competitor.
New hire pre-onboarding process
Employee engagement is a process that starts long before the candidate is hired. Pre-employment onboarding can play a significant role during the days and weeks preceding the commencement of a job. Ensure that your new hire realizes how eager you are to get him/her on board, and establish a professional relationship with them as early as possible.
Here are some best practices that you can implement into your pre-onboarding process to make your prospective employees feel welcomed before their official start date:
- Connect with the potential employee by phone at least once in 15 days to keep them abreast on the happenings in the company. Get them up to speed by putting them on your mailing list so that they can receive your newsletters and links to company blogs, videos and press releases.
- Make sure your new hire is committed to your company by sending them a welcome letter at least one week prior to their start date, communicating your anticipation for them to join the team. Inform them about the induction process and provide material to help them understand your company policies and procedures.
- Get them to fill out the new hire paperwork and update them about the documents that would be required from them. Prepare them on what to expect in the first few weeks and the challenges they could face on the job by sending them a tentative orientation schedule of what has been planned for them.
- Send them an invite to your company’s social media page and introduce them to their team members through social interactions such as a team lunch, so that they feel a sense of belonging. Request them to attend meetings and company events so that they feel connected to your organization prior to their first day.
