Custom Onboarding that Grew with the Company
You only get one chance to make a first impression.
A rapidly growing recruitment agency got to the stage when they needed a more systematic solution to their dynamic hiring process and training new staff. Onboarding new employees by managers and senior consultants meant keeping top billers away from their main tasks.
The only way to mitigate it was by keeping the onboarding short and risking overwhelming new hires with information. This was the exact opposite of the start they wanted to give their new staff. As the company continued to expand and open new branches in different parts of the world, building a consistent culture and instilling company values across the board became paramount. The initial induction training was pivotal to that process.
The Client
The Challenge
They were keen to make the best first impression and give their new staff a great start in their roles. Their culture wasn’t about drowning employees in forms and information, so they didn’t want their onboarding to be that either. Instead, they asked me to design an intial training that would transform those critical first days from an administrative necessity into a strategic and engaging experience that sets the stage for long-term success.
To design tailor-made onboarding training, I worked with the subject matter expert who previously led the process. Other managers and team members helped me gain a full insight into the organisation, the workflow and the sectors they were recruiting for.
Tailored Approach
As with all onboarding training, the trick was to balance the amount of material covered and make it relevant. Anecdotes and stories from current staff were key to bringing the material to life and highlighted its applicability. I aimed to shape the training in a way that trainees felt prepared to work at this company and the industry it operated in. Asking lots of questions about the nature of work, common traps for inexperienced staff and recruiters moving from different sectors or challenges not known to outsiders gave me a good feel of how to structure and prioritise the material. I selected the key issues for recruiters with different levels of experience, framed them in the context of this company and the sector they were operating in and added hands-on experience with the key software and apps they used. The amount of targeted practice helped the new hires start forming the right habits and feel at ease using the tools.
The initial needs and audience analysis made it very clear that these users needed more than a conventional training approach. Recruiters used to working in fast-paced, challenging environments need training to emulate this style of work. I kept that in mind while designing the pace and content of the training. The learner-centred, immersive approach, with the addition of game mechanics, did the trick.
The mix of compliance information, job-related skills and using job-specific software was perfect for providing variety through an interleaving approach and spaced repetition. Even the new hires who weren’t so keen on training got engaged in the hands-on, gamified activities. Everyone gained or built on their skills, mostly without consciously thinking about learning.
Needs Analysis
Implementation
We rolled out the first training in person. Despite its success, it soon wasn’t a feasible solution for the multiple locations of the new branches that the company was opening in different parts of the world. The distance between locations and overlap in their hiring timelines ruled out the option for the facilitator to travel to deliver training. Hiring multiple facilitators was also not optimal due to the variable demand for training in a single location.
Trying to keep the training as close to the face-to-face option, virtual instructor-led training felt like a natural choice. However, time differences, the risk of “Zoom fatigue” (getting more tired during video calls than in-person) and different requirements of new roles called for a more flexible solution.
I opted for a blended learning experience converting the material from the in-person onboarding to interactive, practice-oriented digital tasks. Aiming to maintain the same focus and degree of user involvement, I adjusted the structure and timing of the online modules to accommodate the shorter attention span in e-learning. The digital onboarding training consisted of multiple modules, mostly in the form of immersive microlearning sequences that were taken before and after the live call Q&A sessions. This was the perfect answer.
The Results
The company got an initial training solution ensuring a smooth transition for new hires with minimal disruption to the workflow of experienced staff. Detailed analysis of the company and its needs allowed me to craft a targeted onboarding process with customised, engaging content that fast-tracked new employees into their roles. Both the new employees and team leads noticed the impact. The new hires felt empowered and motivated. Managers complimented the training for making the new staff ready to work independently straight after the induction. The average time to bill for new hires was cut by around 50%.
“Whatever you do in that training works. They [new hires] are now so ready to start the job, they can use the [LinkedIn] Recruiter and CRM, we don’t have to show them things, they can just start working on the roles.”
Team Manager
If you’re looking to optimise your onboarding training and make it a step closer to success in a new role, get in touch to start building a programme tailored to your organisation’s unique needs.
