Onboarding

I've read a lot of articles recently about the increasingly 'web 2.0' methods companies are using in the period between candidates accepting offers and their first day. Onboarding microsites which allow candidates to find out about the company, set up a profile, and see video and other content are becoming more common.

However, whilst some reseach shows candidates like the sites a lot (up to 95% engagement in one survey), we see a danger. Hiring managers could assume that all the work has been done for them. In fact, this isn't much of a change - I've met many hiring managers who think that onboarding is HR's job and abdicate all responsibility.

If you want an employee who is quickly productive and useful to your team, you can't abdicate responsibility to any part of his development, especially onboarding. His whole early experience is colored by the one person he knows - the person who interviewed him. Like many things, onboarding is straightforward but requires some effort and a focus on results and relationships - neither of which are developed through a web 2.0 interface.