Candidate Onboarding is Hot

The topic of interest at your next cocktail party may be, “So what are you doing about Onboarding candidates?” What will you respond?

Onboarding is the process of integrating new employees into your organization. The process generally begins with a job application and perhaps a resume. Complete Onboarding, however, is a harmonious flow of activities that results in candidate integration. What’s hot? Automating the entire process. So hot that there are entire groups on-line dedicated to employee Onboarding. I belong to one that has almost 1000 members.

Automating the entire process eliminates excess paperwork and optimizes the way employee information is collected. From the employee standpoint, you provide easy access via a webbased application or a kiosk version in your office that eliminates the tedious process of wading through a number of confusing forms. From the company perspective, you can seriously reduce costs, and seamlessly transfer new hire information into your staffing software. A side bonus is that it makes your organization look good.

There are many components to the Onboarding process. The focus is on collection of information, verification, and then storage of the collected data. Essentially, the employee enters a typical job application and perhaps attaches a resume. Next, forms management. I-9, W-4, and other forms such as Confidentiality Agreements, Drug Test Forms, etc. are part of the process. E-verify, electronic signatures and other verification occur during the process. All of the data, including the forms is automatically updated to the staffing database.

The Onboarding process can certainly be customized for company logos, welcome messages, selection of which type of forms to process and content of those forms, and even the integration of videos if applicable. It can include notice to the staffing firm of incomplete documentation and other useful details about the process.

It is up to the firm to decide where electronic signatures should apply and which forms will be filled out electronically and stored electronically. As with any other process the firm must incorporate “best practice” for all Onboarding components.

So, what are you doing about Onboarding candidates?

This article appeared in the November 2010 staffdigest Magazine.  www.staffdigest.com

Terri Roeslmeier is President of Automated Business Designs, Inc., software developer of Ultra-Staff software for the staffing and direct hire industry. Ultra-Staff is a staffing software business solution with components for front office, back office and the web. Terri’s email address is TAR@abd.net or for more information on Ultra-Staff go to www.abd.net