HR Professionals
Hiring & Staffing decisions made easy

The Onboarding and Training Process

Even if you have now hired the perfect job candidate, it isn't just a matter of plopping them into the work environment and leaving the person to their own devices. The onboarding process is crucial to getting an employee started on the right foot. It's an opportunity to clarify tasks and roles, to ease them into the social environment, and clear up the shell-shock of starting in a new place. You'll have an employee who can hit the ground running, excited to get started.

Using assessments during the onboarding process can help you to:

• Focus on-the-job training and coaching on areas that need development. Effective recruitment processes increase the likelihood of hiring someone with the best skills, personality, and attitude, but there may still be areas to develop. Assessments can provide insight about a person's strengths and areas that need improvement.
• Prevent performance issues before they start. Will that extrovert you hired socialize too much? Will that conscientious worker be too inhibited to take risks? Use insight gained from a test report to learn ahead of time about potential conflicts between your work environment and a candidate's personality. This allows you to address issues during orientation. For example, you can explain the company policy with respect to breaks and ensure ample social contact for your extroverted candidate by assigning projects that require teamwork.
• Manage employees effectively. Knowing a person's quirks enables a manager to adjust his or her style and approach. Some people prefer structure and direction, others prefer more autonomy. Some people thrive on feedback and praise, others prefer more tangible motivators. Learning about an employee's personality can go a long way to increasing job satisfaction and productivity.
• Integrate new team members seamlessly. In ideal team situations, each member fulfills a specific role. When hiring a candidate to add to the team, it is essential to determine whether the individual's personality and skills fit the team dynamics. Hiring new team members with a clear understanding of their personality and style can facilitate their integration into your existing team.