During this influx of new technologies and an ongoing war for talent, it’s becoming increasingly important for recruiters to provide a talent experience that benefits both the employee and employer. This means candidates must be just as satisfied with their choice in an employer as the organization is with their new hire. Furthermore, the onboarding process requires employers to go above and beyond to secure their investment.

A good friend of mine owns a successful marketing agency. Thanks to great leadership and a happy stable of clients, things in the business (certainly pre-COVID-19) look good. So good, in fact, that there’s a plan to grow the team. With this room for growth, my friend is right in the thick of the candidate review process. We were trading insights on the matter via social media and she tweeted a comment about how the resumes of people who start a new job every year or so raise a red flag.

She went on to make the point that, after a few months of onboarding and training, an employee is just starting to hit their stride, which can be very costly if they leave shortly thereafter. And that’s never a great experience for employee or employer. That’s why it’s more important than ever to ensure you’re providing an exceptional talent experience.

You might also like: 'Onboarding Checklists: 6 Benefits for Talent Acquisition Leaders'

Going Beyond the Candidate Experience

I can sympathize and agree with my friend’s assessment. Bringing on new employees and moving them from new hire to productive team member in the most efficient way possible is a high-stakes game. Do it right and you’re on your way to having the next rock star member of your team. Make some missteps and you could be developing an ex-employee.

Recruiters, HR pros, and the hiring managers they support all carefully vet candidates for skills, aptitude, experience, cultural fit, and any number of other dimensions. Today more than ever, savvy candidates are likely going through the same calculus when determining where they want to build a career: searching review sites, networking with peers via social media, and checking out a company’s digital footprint across the internet.

There’s no shortage of intel that can be gathered by employee and employer alike, so for the most part, each party is going into this working relationship with eyes wide open. However, once an individual crosses the threshold from candidate to employee, the ongoing talent experience you deliver will either keep that worker fired up about the role or motivate them to start looking for a way out.

More from the blog: '9 Steps to a Better Onboarding Program'

Creating a Smooth Transition From Candidate to Employee

Although every business is unique, when it comes to creating a positive and productive environment for employees, there are some common threads:

• Providing a smooth onboarding process helps employees become more grounded in the organization and deeply rooted in the workplace culture.
• Delivering a platform for communication and collaboration helps new employees build (and strengthen) internal relationships and develop their own network of peers and mentors.
• Clarifying how employees will be measured and how their contributions tie to overall organizational goals ensures they understand the vital role they play on the team and what they need to do to succeed.
• Ensuring that learning and coaching activities are continuous allows employees to know where they are on their career path and provide the support they need to hone their skills and prepare for the next step.
• Providing clear and concise insight into your organization’s compensation practices and policies, and tying compensation to performance significantly reduces the chance for surprises or disappointment when wage reviews or bonuses are discussed.

How do your organization’s talent experience and onboarding practices measure up? Learn more about how to accelerate your talent process with PeopleFluent talent acquisition software.

Editor’s note: This blog was previously published in August 2017 and has been updated with current information.