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Determining for whom you seek…..

You are certain you need another staff member. How do you know whom you need?
Culture is important for teams to succeed. Agreement on core values and adherence to those
values are necessary for the culture to thrive. Behavior traits and alignment with team values
are more important for the success of the team than the skill level of the candidate.
What traits define the person that will best fit into the role you need to fill? Remember that you
are seeking a team member and not someone with whom you will shop or see a movie.
Let’s start by defining the traits of those you currently believe successful in the role.
List 5 traits that come to mind when you think of the best employee currently in the role.
i.e. Friendly, collaborative, strong work ethic, positive, trustworthy.
Now write 3 behaviors that define each trait listed. What does friendly look like? This way we
will know when we see it.

• Friendly – smiles, compliments others, assists others
• Strong work ethic – always doing their tasks, willing to come in early or stay late if needed, willing to give feedback to improve the outcomes of their tasks.
• Collaboration – Willing to help others with their tasks, willing to work with others if they need help completing their tasks, shows support for other employees
• Positive – offers support to fellow employees for issues specific to that employee, willing to change tasks when asked, doesn’t gossip
• Trustworthy – no concern for stealing, shows up when scheduled, stays until tasks are completed

Now you can write interview questions that ask about these behaviors. Be certain the questions
ask about situations the candidate has experienced and how they reacted. Do NOT make a
hypothetical situation and ask how they would respond. Ask, instead, for a situation in which
they had to be friendly…….listen for their behaviors and rate how completely their behavior
matches the behaviors you have described for each trait you are seeking.

If the candidate chooses a situation that required them to assist others and they compliment the
colleague they assisted and they smile during their answer… then this is a 10/10 answer.

Score each answer and then average the scores. The goal is not to hire the highest score. Do not
hire a score of less than 7/10. Instead, look at your sourcing and rewrite your add or advertise in
front of a different population of candidates. The goal of the interview is to find someone that
fits your culture and vision for the role. Skills can be taught but behaviors are much more
difficult to change and mold. This is why questions should solicit information about their past
behaviors. This is proven to be more reliable at predicting how they will behave in the future.
Many people think they will behave correctly in a hypothetical situation but then when this is
tested they do not respond as they predicted.

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How to create an onboarding process?

Day one should be a celebration.  Celebrate the next step in their career. Celebrate the reason they wanted to work here. Why did they choose you? Was it for the opportunity to learn new skills, the opportunity to contribute and collaborate or the opportunity to be heard and create?  Assess the tools the new employee will need to do their job and introduce those. Sometimes it is knowledge of processes, the way things are done at this company.  What vaccines are considered core? How frequently do you vaccinate? What flea and tick products do you use? To what testing protocols do you adhere? Is there an in house pharmacy and what is available? Do you send lab work out or test in house?  Where should I park? Where are the restrooms? Where do I put my lunch? Hang my coat? Etc.  Much of this information can be given with a phone call from a manager welcoming the new hire prior to start date. Nobody likes to feel stupid and lacking the knowledge of routine processes can do just that!  Keep as much personal touch in the process as possible. Avoid reliance on videos and forms.

Have everyone wear name tags on the new person’s start date. Having many new faces and names to remember is difficult and awkward when you can’t remember someone to which you have been introduced. Have a welcome breakfast so the new person can get to know the staff before starting the day rather than a lunch. Designate a person to partner with the new person to help them find what they need and explain processes as the day progresses and introduce the staff as they interact.  Integrate the independent processes of HR forms, IT, badges, benefits, payroll, and uniform, etc.  Perhaps email the HR forms ahead of day 1 to be completed on line and returned. Perhaps send the benefits info ahead and then follow up with a phone call to answer questions so there is understanding ahead and separate from the first day in the building.

The employee experience is determined by the onboarding process , The success of your process requires asking the new hires for input. They understand what could be improved. Check in with them at 3 and 6 months after their start date. 

Some metrics for successful onboarding:

• # terminations in first 6 months or yr ( retention)
• amount of time to reach productivity
• % of hires having trouble getting their first paycheck on time
• % of hires starting day 1 without –business cards, badges, uniforms, and completed HR forms, etc.

Differences between orientation and onboarding:

Orientation  
Goal: Get on payroll, signed up for benefits and a brief overview of company. Short duration involving all departments but primarily HR  starting on day 1.

Onboarding 
Goal: To decrease the time to productivity . Ongoing duration and it integrates all processes of which orientation is one. Utilizes the time from hire to start date and continues 6-12 months after start date.

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Onboarding is the process to get a new employee to production in the new role.  Your onboarding process or lack of a process will directly influence your retention rate.  It is the foundation of the employee experience and cornerstone of engagement.  New employees arrive day 1 to a new job with expectations and the hope that this position is better than the one they just left.  Onboarding done well is reassuring and prevents the new job remorse that is often experienced in the first 24-48 hours after starting a new position.  Friends and family call and ask  “ How’s the new job?”   “How was your first day?” .  This is a memorable day and a stepping stone on their career path- they will post  on social media. This is an event on their timeline. Create a first day on the job they brag about!  Typically a day of filling out HR forms and learning policies and procedures is not brag worthy.  A good onboarding program is comforting and alleviates the employee’s fears or anxiety about the change and choices they have made. A great first day is a celebration and not a marathon of HR policies.

During the interview process employers scour resumes and ask questions of the employee to check all the boxes for what they need and then offer. But do the employers know what the employee needs?  Why is the employee choosing you ? what are their hopes and expectations. What talents are they hoping to utilize or develop? How do they see themselves contributing to the team?  What does the new role look like to them?  Employees are eager to fit in and perform. They are eager to contribute. How easy do you make that for them?

Good onboarding should:

• Allow the employee to understand their role
• Provide the tools the employee needs to do their job
• Assist their merge into the social scene

An onboarding program begins with an accepted offer and continues  for 6 months to a year after the start date .

Any delay in getting the employee the tools and information they need to produce frustrates the new employee and is costly.  

The onboarding process has direct influence on:

• Retention
• Employee referrals
• Employment brand and reputation

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