Onboarding Pass

Photo by clappstar

Over the past several months I've been tasked with troubleshooting hiring issues that cross international borders. My team has been building a talent branding program for a luxury goods company expanding into England and Australia. In Hong Kong,  I saw a wall-sized plea in the lobby of a consumer packaged goods company for employees to help identify new recruits. In Germany, where the population rate has declined dramatically, we've studied the need to hire ex-pats to fill high-skilled positions.

Competition for people with the right skills has heated up on a global scale. As companies succeed, they can quickly build on their positive momentum by enlarging their geographic footprint.  Often, the rate limiting step is finding the right talent. HR departments go through a time consuming rigmarole to find the perfect candidate - a person who has the right skills, experience AND attitude. It's like finding a needle in a haystack, where the needle may not want to be found.

There's a "cheat," of course. Recruitment novices routinely dismiss candidates who don't have an IMMEDIATE  fit, but Onboarding programs can help to create the job fit AFTER the hire. Onboarding helps new hires acquire the necessary skills, company/industry knowledge and the proper behaviors to become successful employees. Onboarding programs often involve printed handbooks, computer-aided training (with video orientation), and most importantly, formal meetings with peers, supervisors and HR representatives. Onboarding programs that instill company values can help to create the proper attitude and cultural integration.  Internationally speaking, socialization training extends beyond issues of company culture- at times language and cultural counseling (living in a different country) become an important onboarding tactic.

This "cheat" is not cheap. Onboarding is an educational cost, and it's an investment that the company makes in its newly hired recruits. But the dividends are palpable. Research has demonstrated that effective onboarding can lead to higher job satisfaction, better job performance, reduced stress and higher employee retention.

Perfectly cut diamonds are expensive. It's easier to find diamonds in the rough and polish them yourself.