Due to a large number of vacancies in the current job market, some employers are finding they are losing candidates to other roles during the onboarding process. It is therefore critical that employers regularly and effectively engage with their new cohort from job offer through to their first day.

This article shares highlights from the session where guest speakers, listed below, joined Gareth John to talk about strategies for maximising the impact of the ‘pre-start’ period to avoid losing successful candidates to other job opportunities. As well as what employers can expect from young adults when they first enter the workplace, and how to successfully onboard and engage them in their early weeks of employment.

Speakers and panelists

• Lorraine Twist, National Director – Professional Services UK – Hays
• Nik Pratap, Managing Partner and Founder – Pratap Partnership
• Adele Carnera, HR, Talent Acquisition & Apprenticeship Specialist Consultant – OPRA Group
• Caroline Bixby, HR Director – Scrutton Bland
• Catherine Walsh, Partner & HR Director – Buzzacott
• Amy Carter, Development Manager – Kirk Newsholme 
• Crystal Haygreen, Director of Post-Qualification Education – First Intuition

The session was made up of two different topics:

1. Preparing young adults for starting in their first professional workplace
2. Onboarding young adults

You can watch the recordings on each topic by clicking the buttons below.

Please find the key points from the session below.

Tips for preparing young adults starting in their first professional workplace

• Be clear on the start date and what is expected of candidates, for example, what to wear and how to behave. Remove uncertainty where possible
• Give candidates the opportunity to ask questions and have conversations before they start. Make communication personal and candidate feel comfortable
• Provide new starts with structure and touchpoints such as information about what a good week looks like so they know if they are working to the level they need to
• Include face-to-face meet-ups before a candidate starts, including:
  • Keep-in-touch-days
  • Go for coffee or lunch with their team
  • Invite them to team days and company events
  • Days where they can look around the office and meet other new candidates
• Encourage peer-to-peer contact
  • Introduce a buddy system with last year’s intakes or colleagues in a similar role a few years ahead that are relatable to them
  • Introduce new starters to the MD and more senior staff
• Share onboarding material before they start such as welcome packs/ information on company culture, incentives, and activities the company is involved in
• Share pre-start training material before they start. For example, First Intuition’s pre-start resources
• Get feedback from the previous year’s new intake to improve the onboarding process and how to prepare new starters better
• Have a designated person to communicate with new starters
• Check-in regularly with new employees once they start. Introduce a checklist for managers so to ensure they are doing what they can to ease new employees into their role
• Make it clear who new starters need to contact for what. Give an induction about the employee contract and how to book holidays
• Set expectations as a team and the company culture early on. The feedback should be short, sensitive, and communicated within an appropriate time after the event, as well as sensitive to social mobility
• Create personalised learning and development plans around trainees’ learning styles. Give them the information about how to progress in their career path

Tips for onboarding young adults

• Human connection is the most important element for onboarding and it gets candidates over the line. Candidates accept the role where they have built the strongest rapport and are most likely to drop out in cases where they lose connection
• In a competitive job market, candidates often have multiple offers so they need to feel aligned with the culture and have a genuine connection
• Ensure you are regularly in touch with candidates between offering them the role up until their start date:
  • Avoid long gaps between communication
  • Critical non-essential touchpoints – find 16 reasons to contact people before starting
  • Make communication little and often
  • Make it a two-way process where candidates also have to interact
  • Start the process early on
• Use digital technology to complement the recruitment and onboarding process. The new generations of young adults expect things to be digital and expect to be in control of taking information in their own time
• The onboarding process should be personal and tailored to each candidate. The company should be clear about all the benefits they offer early on
• Send personal touches before starting:
  • A postcard or gift saying you are looking forward to them starting
  • Welcome boxes with company-branded items – this can help with social media and brand awareness
• A buddy system so new starters have someone relatable to talk to and ask questions to
• Create a continuous learning culture. Provide staff with the opportunities to upskill through online courses, in-person teaching, or events/ seminars
• Get individuals into the office to aid well-being and in-person learning
• Make sure what the employer is doing is sustainable beyond the first few months of employment

Changes in new starters and the onboarding process over the past few years

• The number of candidates applying for a role has declined, but the quality of those who do has improved
• Employers can no longer assume candidates have the basic skills needed in a place of work, such as being able to write an email
• Younger employees use their mobile phones more during working hours
• Poorer time management from new employees
• Employers are having to react and adapt to the changes in the way young adults behave
• Job descriptions need to be clearly outlined and transparent
• The pace of interactions between employer and candidate has become quicker, whilst the tone has changed so as not to be too overwhelming
• Young adults are less used to in-person social interaction and less keen to join social events
• Consider transport for young adults as a lot more are unlikely to have passed their driving test
• Higher salary expectations
• Higher dropout rates before interviews

Useful Resources

• First Intuition’s pre-start resources
• What is a good onboarding process?
• Guide to onboarding an employee
• Onboarding from home
• NextGen: The Key to Revamping Onboarding
• Effectively Onboarding a Younger Generation

Find all of First Intuition’s upcoming events here.