Best Practices for Efficient New Hire Recruiting and Onboarding

The hiring and recruitment process is a time consuming one, but it is essential that an employer includes all of the crucial steps involved in getting a new employee acclimated to the organization.  In order to ensure a smooth transition from candidate to newly hired employee, an employer must ensure that the organization initially searches to fill a specific role or to find a prospective candidate that will be able to fit that request.  Some of the key aspects involved in the hiring process are...

• conducting a thorough recruiting effort
• ensuring potential candidates are appropriately narrowed down
• providing a formal employment offer with a competitive compensation and benefits package

Onboarding process begins

Once the candidate has accepted the offer and has negotiated a starting date and rate of pay, the employer must move expediently in order to fulfill the onboarding tasks.  If they have not previously been completed, background and reference checks should now be conducted.  It is important to state in the offer letter that the job offer is contingent upon the successful completion of applicable background checks and/or a passed drug screening test. 

New hire paperwork

Other hiring paperwork should be completed by the newly hired employee as soon as possible.  The I-9 Form must be completed within three business days of the starting date of employment, as it is mandatory that the employer obtains the candidate’s proof of identity as well as eligibility to work in the U.S.   
 
The W-4 Form, Direct Deposit Form, Emergency Contact Form, benefits paperwork and other relevant new hire paperwork should be completed on or before the first day of work.  Utilizing a new hire checklist as well as a new hire orientation template will help ensure that the employee is being onboarded in a smooth, structured manner and will help verify that the employee is in receipt of tools, equipment and other necessary company property. 

Overall hiring efficiencies

The hiring and recruiting process is a tedious and, at times, a financially-consuming one for employers.  Advertising the position and receiving applications from viable candidates is a key step in finding the right fit.  Employers who utilize thoughtful measures in understanding their organizational needs, identify a positive cultural match between employer and prospective candidates, and utilize a consistent means of obtaining candidate data will lay a foundation of positive recruitment.  Ensuring that a position boasts an enticing compensation and benefits package, including working remotely and flexible work weeks/schedules, may make the difference between a job acceptance and rejection.

Finally, once the candidate begins his or her role, those first few weeks on the job are the most crucial timeframe in the employee’s employment with the company.  As the new employee becomes acquainted with the organization and his or her respective department and role, the organization will enjoy the positive outcome of this formative timeframe that impacts the employee’s acclimation as well as his or her longevity with the organization.   Studies have found that the more devoted an organization is in crafting a thorough onboarding program, the greater likelihood that the employee will remain employed with the company.
 
Though the recruiting, hiring and new hire orientation processes are time-consuming, investing energy into a thorough, streamlined onboarding procedure will provide a return on investment when the results are happy, long-term company employees.

Our NYS Employee Onboarding Kit includes a bundle of all the NY state and federal forms you need to properly hire and onboard an employee, plus video instructions, additional best practices and a new-hire checklist. Click the link below to check it out.

If you're hiring an employee, or think you might be soon, check out our comprehensive resource page, Employee Onboarding - A Complete Guide. This is a handy, tightly-packaged outline that presents all the critical hiring and onboarding elements in simple, chronological order.