Digital Preboarding: Start Building Your Employer Brand Before Your New Recruit Has Even Started!

It is a very delicate period of time between recruiting of a new hire and the day he/she actually joins your workplace. This is often a time marked by excitement but also worry and confusion for your recruit who often is unaware of what to expect from their new work environment. Here are some tips on how to turn this time into the perfect opportunity to connect with your new hire and improve your Employer Branding!  

The Papers Are Signed - Now Let’s Get Straight To Pre-Boarding and Employer Branding!

You have finally closed the recruiting, and you are excited about helping grow the company with the right people onboard! So, what do you do now? Unfortunately, many employers do not interact with their new hire until it is time for his or her first day at the office. Why is this unfortunate, you ask? Because the time between signing the contract and the first day at work is the perfect time to start both your pre-boarding program and Employer Branding activities.

Get to know: 5 Reasons Why Your Organization Should Offer Digital Onboarding (and Preboarding)

Put yourself in your new hire’s shoes. They are probably very excited, but also slightly nervous and maybe even a bit confused. They also don’t really know what to expect of their new workplace and might be unaware of who to ask what. This might affect your Employer Brand negatively as the new employee feels a bit alone. Instead of letting all of these thoughts and emotions build up and become overwhelming on their first day at the workplace, here are 3 ways in which you can get a head start on Employer Branding using digital preboarding:

1. Build A Relationship With a Personal Touch

New recruits often appreciate feeling seen by their colleagues. As mentioned above, joining a new office can be overwhelming and with the colleagues busy days and hectic work pace, it is easy for your new hire to feel invisible. How about a personalized welcoming message sent right after the recruitment process? A quick text introducing them to the workforce is a great way to lay the foundation for a healthy colleague relationship! Maybe add a few tips on some of the unwritten rules of the office that would really take the edge off of a nervous new hire. 

2. Pick Up On Questions, Ideas And Feedback

Using a digital platform for pre-boarding is also the perfect tool for your new colleague to get in touch with the company if they have any urgent questions. Being able to answer questions ranging from parking spots and the company’s core values, is the perfect opportunity for Employer Branding. Not only will you find that the person has questions, you will also notice that they might have great ideas for the company. Being accessible for your new recruit is great for your employer brand. 

3. Create Company Ambassadors - Employeer Branding In Two Steps

Having access to their colleagues, information about the company and insights into projects and tasks could turn your new employee into the perfect company ambassador! Not only will they be impressed with your organization and its internal communication they will share their impression of the company with people they interact with. This is basically Employer Branding in two steps: primarily to the new hire, and secondarily through word of mouth to a much larger audience. 

By developing your Employer Branding from the very first interaction with your new recruit, you can effectively employ a delicate period of time that is often neglected by many companies. Create a relationship, pick up on their thoughts and notions and hopefully, this will result in your new hires becoming company ambassadors before they have even started their new job!