Four things you should be including in your graduate onboarding process

Onboarding can make or break an employee’s experience when starting a new role. Research by Gallup found that only 12% of “employees strongly agree their workplace does a great job of onboarding new employees.” [1]

Considering a great onboarding experience can improve employee retention rates by 82%, neglecting these process can be both costly and time consuming in the long run. [2]

This is especially relevant when hiring for graduate jobs in London, as they often have little experience in corporate environments. Graduate recruitment in London is a competitive market, so you don’t want to be losing your new employees just a few days in because of onboarding issues.

Here are four things to consider when welcoming graduates to your team:

1. Preparation is key

No new employee wants to arrive on their first day to no desk and a colleague that’s flustered at their arrival. It’s essential you take the time to get organised a few days before they begin, printing off or filling out paperwork, installing all software and hardware, setting up entry passes and computer logins and anything else that’s required. While notice periods are part and parcel of recruitment, it’s worth moving quickly – leaving too much time between accepting an offer and starting a new role opens you up for potential problems. If onboarding remotely, ensure hardware has been sent to the employee’s house well in advance, and they have been in touch with IT to support them through the setup.

2. Invest in video

Millennials are the video generation, with the average personal watching 1.5 hours of video a day [3]. So, invest in creating an orientation video, covering your company’s history, current structure and culture, as well as office instructions and tips and tricks for their first few weeks – maybe a suggestion of where to grab lunch? This means you won’t have to repeat yourself with every new starter and it ensures the messaging is consistent. It also allows graduate to take notes in their own time, pausing where needed, and frees you up to focus on other things.

3. Show them the way

The top drivers of engagement for millennials are career opportunities, clear management of performance and organisational reputation.⁴ Therefore, the onboarding process should also include a clear directive on where graduates can expect to be in three, six and twelve months’ time. Objectives should be clearly established and training avenues should be actively promoted and acted upon in order to encourage growth. This way, those taking on London graduate jobs (or elsewhere) can see just how they’ll be using their hard-earned knowledge.

4. Implement a mentoring programme

Starting a new role is daunting at the best of times, but for graduates, it can be even more so. Providing a mentor for those first few months can go a long way in helping new grads settle into the workplace, giving them a person that can answer ‘dumb questions’ that they might not be comfortable asking their direct manager.
Mentorship can also encourage a sense of community, helping to welcome new members to the team. A familiar face can go a long way in making a work environment more comfortable.

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Tiger is one of London’s leading graduate recruitment agencies. If you’re looking to hire a graduate or looking at jobs for graduates in London, we can help! Get in touch today. If you’re looking for more hiring advice, read our complete interview and selection guide for employers. 

1.https://www.gallup.com/workplace/238085/state-american-workplace-report-2017.aspx
2. https://b2b-assets.glassdoor.com/the-true-cost-of-a-bad-hire.pdf
3. https://www.rev.com/blog/how-gen-z-and-millennials-consume-video-content-what-that-means-for-production-teams
4. http://diversitybydesign.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Diverse-Voices-final.pdf

Author David Morel Tiger Recruitment Team