Onboarding Effectiveness Drives Company Growth and Performance

Sharlyn Lauby

12 Apr 2012

(Editor’s Note: Today’s post is sponsored by iCIMS, a leading provider of innovative Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) talent acquisition solutions for growing businesses. The iCIMS Talent Platform is the industry’s premier candidate management solution and enables organizations to manage their entire talent acquisition lifecycle from sourcing, to recruiting, to onboarding – all within a single web-based application.)

Last week’s drop in unemployment was good news. It was also part of an ongoing conversation about productivity. Because productivity drives company performance. And, we all know organizations want to employ exactly the right number of people, with exactly the right skill set to help them meet their business performance targets.

New recruits are seamlessly and quickly converted from applicant to employee, giving our onboarding specialists more time to focus on high priority tasks like training sessions. – Patricia Finaldi

One way companies do that is by creating efficient onboarding processes. And part of the efficiency is automating certain aspects of the process. I had the opportunity to speak with Patricia Finaldi, talent acquisition manager at iCIMS, who is responsible for creating and executing their recruiting strategies to deliver top quality talent, in fulfillment of the company hiring and strategic plans. Prior to iCIMS, she held several senior level positions within corporations including Citigroup, PNC, and Chase.

Patricia shared her thoughts on successful onboarding programs. “Often the success of an onboarding program is directly dependent on the quality of the new hire experience. One of the reasons our program is successful is because we utilize the iCIMS Applicant Tracking System in conjunction with the onboarding solution to create a smooth transition for our new hires. Since their information is already stored in our ATS, the new recruits are seamlessly and quickly converted from applicant to employee, giving our onboarding specialists more time to focus on high priority tasks like training sessions.”

The iCIMS Onboarding Portal immediately gets new hires acclimated through a variety of employee tools. The software keeps new hires engaged and makes their onboarding experience welcoming, efficient, and virtually paperless. It significantly reduces any stress associated with onboarding. Patricia explained that her team, and new employees at iCIMS, have nothing to worry about. “It clears the way for new hires to dive right into the exciting possibilities of their position.” And the results demonstrate the Onboard solution’s effectiveness:

The Onboarding Portal helps to drive new hire productivity. New employees are able to get up to speed faster, while feeling more confident in their job responsibilities. iCIMS shared that they are in a growth mode so, the time-to-productivity metric is key. Staff needs to become efficient quickly to meet the company’s expansion efforts.

The Onboarding Portal also helps employees become immersed in company culture right away, which is important because it’s easier to flourish in an environment when it is understood. It also gives new hires a first-hand impression of the type of staff iCIMS is looking for so that they can actively contribute to the recruitment efforts with employee referrals.

Another company with similar business goals is Jamba Juice, a leader in the smoothie, fruit drink and good-for-you snack market. They were positioning the company for growth and relied upon employee referrals for their recruitment efforts.

Jamba Juice used the iCIMS Onboard solution to streamline their onboarding process and stay organized. Amanda Watchel, recruiting manager at Jamba Juice, said the iCIMS onboarding capabilities were “extremely beneficial, saving us time and increasing our efficiency as a team.”

As I have gotten to know the folks at iCIMS, one of the things that has impressed me is their focus on the numbers. Patricia and I talked about what that means when you’re an HR pro in an HR company. “We task all of our HR staff to become ‘super users’ of our product, which enables us to both optimize our recruitment program through automation and provide our company with a direct, measurable user experience. We’ve been able to drive our HR program by knowing all of the ins and outs of the system – including reporting on campaign results in order to improve metrics. This has ultimately led to a more solid recruitment program.”

Creating a more efficient and effective onboarding process can not only make your life easier, it can increase the productivity of your employees and lead to enhanced company performance. There’s a direct correlation to the bottom line.

Many thanks to Pat and the team at iCIMS for sharing their stories. If you would like to learn more about iCIMS and their Onboard solution or review their open positions, check out their website, like their Facebook page, or follow them on Twitter. You can also request a demo by clicking here.