Companies who effectively onboard technical hires can increase productivity, reduce learning curves, and support employee engagement. The following weeks after a new hire's first day are essential to successful onboarding and will be a time when the transition from discovering corporate culture to learning the job occurs.

The onboarding process should not be viewed as time-consuming or utilizing unnecessary resources, but as an investment for long-term value and growth in an employee. To build a strong onboarding process for technical hires, a Onboarding checklist template should include:

Onboard Technical Hires

Before the first day of hire, new technical employees' offices or workstations should be prepared and ready for action. Things such as computer, email, logins, and phone systems should be set up and working properly.

It's best to have new hire paperwork completed prior to the start date and therefore, the employee can fully concentrate on a smooth transition into the company. For federal employers and government contractors, security and background checks should start immediately after the offer letter has been signed to avoid delays with logins and passwords on the first day.

Provide Mentoring and Networking

To help new technical hires in having a comfortable transition into the company, assign a mentor within the first couple of days of employment. A mentor should be a senior-level or more experienced team member who can assist the new hire with questions and provide advice and guidance.

Consider the Employee's Background

It's best to view onboarding as adaptable and its approach should be altered to match a new technical hire's background. For example, a junior technical professional may have different qualifications and former work environments than the previous one, and therefore may need a different type of support.

With entry-level employees, onboarding should include procedures for learning a new role and the workplace and setting professional expectations and goals. While a senior technical hire will need to know all of the aforementioned things as well as assistance in managing a group.

Training and Development

In order for new technical hires to succeed in their positions, especially if their skills are at the junior level, a positive environment will be crucial where it promotes progress and removes intimidation that often comes with learning.

It's important during the onboarding process to encourage learning with books, training, and other tools to advance them in their work. When considering training, take into account how it could enrich the new hire's job and skills. Taking this approach will assist in proper instruction, evaluating progress, and assimilation of the new technical hire into the team.