While recruiters rush to bag good candidates, their enthusiasm is usually limited until they have sent across the offer letter. Post offer letters, the person is asked to serve their notice period and come to the office on the date of joining. The notice period can be anywhere from two weeks to three months. In a world where everything is changing daily, two weeks also is like almost a decade. The failure to manage the days of candidate selection to onboarding results in dropouts.

The candidate does not become your employee when he/she enters the office, but they become employees as soon as they sign the offer letter. Moreover, it’s crucial to treat them like that. The impression you create once you select them will always have an impact on everything the person does. According to Gallup, only 12% of employees strongly agree that their organization does a great job onboarding new employees. This affects retention as well as engagement.

While it may be a repetitive process for the recruiter, it’s always a first for the candidate. The first day at work or first meeting with the team etc. and they want to know how it is going to be even before joining the team. There is always a sense of impatience and excitement in new joining candidates. If the company doesn’t reciprocate the same, the bond of trust is broken. Candidates are enticed with promises, and it is essential to stay true to those promises as they are now your employees.

The lack of energy portrayed by companies after selection makes the candidate feels unwelcomed. The transition phase from being a candidate to an employee should be a engaging. This avoids any strain that might affect the employer-employee relationship. It would be best if you prepared the employee before they join the organization. Walking into the office the first day without any prior knowledge can put them in an uncomfortable position that companies should avoid at all costs.

As the research conducted by Neuroscientist Antonio Damasio says, humans make 70% of decisions emotionally and just 30% nationally. By this measure, imagine good candidates getting multiple opportunities. Also, just like you, many companies are offering ‘rational benefits’ like excellent compensation, good location, paid leaves etc. What you do to connect with them is what sets you apart from the rest.

Some things you can do to not lose good candidates:

• Keep the communication going: Even after the person has signed the offer letter, make sure to stay in touch constantly. You can do so by sending emails at regular intervals.

• Introduce the team: Don’t wait until the day of joining to introduce team members. Send them the details of their team manager and team members, so they are well aware. It is always good to know whom you are going to work with, considering people spend most of their day at the office.

• Add the human touch: Make sure to call the candidate a few days or weeks before their joining, so they feel welcomed and wanted. Adding the human element gives out the message that you care. This effort will go a long way to maintain a healthy relationship with new employees.

• Make genuine efforts: Every person understands the difference between forced and sincere efforts. Don’t try to push too hard to establish a good reputation. Make sure to connect with the person and understand their likes genuinely.

• Stay Connected: Make sure to stay connected throughout their notice period. One or two pieces of communication, in the beginning, will not make them feel connected.

Failing to maintain good engagement after the selection process can cost you a great deal. You need to have a strategic onboarding process to avoid dropouts. However, in the case of mass hiring, a talent engagement platform enabled by automation and AI can be handy. A platform that can send out customized personalized communication to multiple candidates at the same time at regular intervals. It will save a lot of time, effort, and most important will reduce the drop-out ratio.

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