Engagement Starts Sooner than You Think

“I can’t wait until I start there. I’ve never felt so welcome before beginning a new job in the past.”
 
So said a close friend of mine some months ago, right before she started a new hybrid job.
 
She also mentioned that, in fact, the entire candidate experience, from the moment she had applied had been excellent.
 
Then, in the period between accepting and starting, every few days someone from the new company, unobtrusively reached out in some way, to say how excited they were for her to join them, including:
 
✅ An excited call from her new manager right after she accepted the offer with HR
✅ A welcome card mailed to her home, signed by everyone on her new team
✅ A welcome email from the CEO
✅ A swag bag of branded, useful items, delivered to her home
✅ Information about the team lunch that would take place on her first day
✅ A copy of her onboarding plan, along with her first-day meeting point, start and finish times, dress code, etc.
 
Before she started, she felt as though this group of people genuinely couldn’t wait for her to get there.
 
On her actual first day, everything worked seamlessly – everyone knew who she was from the moment she arrived.
 
She had been signed-up for her email and Slack accounts, and her laptop was ready to go.
 
She had had high hopes for the culture, since the company’s Glassdoor reviews were excellent.
 
𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙖𝙙𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙚𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙙, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙢𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙚𝙭𝙘𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙣.
 
And, happily, she hasn’t been disappointed.
 
The company has lived up to its excellent reviews, and her pre-boarding experience was indeed a precursor of what was to come.
 
𝘽𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙯𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙜𝙤𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙯𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙤𝙮𝙚𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙝𝙞𝙧𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙨.
 
It starts from the moment the job is posted, and candidates express interest, of which one hopefully becomes a new team member.
 
💠 Yet, according to a recent survey, 64% of employers wait until the actual start date to welcome and onboard the new hire.
 
💠 Despite the fact that the lead-up to starting a new job is the ideal opportunity to engage with new employees.
 
💠 Which is well worth it, since a great pre-boarding experience can boost new hire retention by up to 82% and minimize no-shows.
 
It can determine whether a new employee begins their first day feeling like a valued part of a community, with a great sense of excitement and belonging.
 
Or with apprehension and a lack of clarity around exactly what they’ve signed up for.

Delivering a pre-boarding experience, which builds excitement, anticipation, and connection before the first day is the way to go.