Recruiter Onboarding, How to Ramp Inexperienced Recruiters

A rapidly growing number of staffing and recruiting organizations are making big investments in recruiter onboarding.  And for good reason. Business is booming; most staffing firms have more job orders than they can actually fill. As a result, hiring new recruiters is the top priority. But what is different in 2022 from prior years is staffing leaders are being forced to hire inexperienced recruiters due to scarcity and the war for experienced (tenured) talent. This dynamic has recruiting leaders scrambling to figure how best to quickly ramp up new recruiters to productivity.

Training Industry Magazine estimated that it takes over a year - 381 days to be exact - for a new sales rep to reach the “same performance level as tenured sales reps.”  Sure, sales is different than recruiting but even if we assume it only takes nine months or even six months for a new recruiter to reach the same performance level as a tenured recruiter, that is still too long.

In today’s competitive market, staffing firms simply can’t wait that long to get recruiters running at full potential. This is where a strong recruiter onboarding program comes in. 

Recruiter Onboarding, How to Ramp Inexperienced Recruiters

So, what does a good recruiter onboarding program look like? Recruiter onboarding is a highly structured, systematic educational program that enables newly hired recruiters with the necessary knowledge and skills, behaviors and tools to do their job effectively in an easy-to-absorb and timely format. Recruiter onboarding ensures all recruiters have what they need for success within the company, and within their team.

A well designed recruiter onboarding program enables recruiters to learn in small, bite-size pieces with defined learning objectives and includes onboarding materials that are readily available and designed to support new hires in adopting and applying your curriculum.

Pro Tip: Don't make the common mistake of information overload. Deliver your onboarding content in small bite-size pieces over time. Shoving as much information as possible in the shortest time possible down the throats of your new hires will only delay ramp-up time.

Download Now: 7 Keys to More Effective, Efficient Recruiter Onboarding

The best recruiter onboarding programs segment skills training from knowledge training, emphasize experiential learning exercises and include multiple reinforcement mechanisms including adaptive, automated spaced reinforcement that is fortified with coaching. Finally, they standardize what "good looks and sounds like" with skill certification assessments.

Skills training included in recruiter onboarding may include candidate sourcing (Boolean search) skills, and communication skills such as questioning, credibility building and collaboration skills. Knowledge training included in recruiter onboarding may include candidate personas, candidate pay rates, and product or service knowledge, and knowledge of candidate job roles and responsibilities.

According to research from SHRM, companies with a standard onboarding process see 50% greater productivity and engagement from their new hires

When recruiter onboarding is done right, staffing firms experience the following three benefits. 

Improved Employee Retention

Research from Bridge Group shows that average new hire tenure is down from 36 months to just 18 months and that research doesn't even account for the great resignation. Setting new hires up for success in their role is a huge part of attracting and retaining top talent. In today’s competitive job market, job seekers are more knowledgeable and discerning of their prospective employers than ever. If a talented recruit is considering joining your team, your onboarding and training programs will play a significant role towards their success.  A strong onboarding and training curriculum sets you apart as an employer who values and invests in their employees.

Recruiter onboarding is your new hire's first experience with your company and you only get one chance to make a first impression.  Research shows that 69 percent of employees are more likely to stay with a company for three years if they experience great onboarding. With a great recruiter onboarding program, you can keep employees for months and years to come by giving them the skills, tools and knowledge they need to succeed.

Increased Employee Engagement

Recruiters who are highly engaged in their work do everything they can to satisfy their candidates, grow their candidate pipeline, generate sales leads for their sales team, and contribute ideas to improve the overall recruiting team and function. These highly engaged employees are advocates for your company and an integral part of your delivery team.

Building employee engagement starts with onboarding. When new recruiters get the tools and information they need right from the start, they are more likely to buy into the company’s goals, bond with the sales and recruiting team through shared experiences, and contribute in a positive way, every day. 

Accelerate Ramp Up Time, Time to Quota Attainment

Giving new hire recruiters a quick orientation then turning them loose to figure things out on their own is a great way to waste revenue generating opportunities and frustrate your team.  According to a Vantage Point survey, organizations who rated high for structure and consistency with their new hire onboarding outperformed those with low ratings by reducing ramp-up time from 9 months to 6 months. For comparison, most recruiting firms, those with inconsistent and unstructured onboarding, claim it takes them anywhere between nine and 16 months to ramp a new recruiter to productivity.   

The point of having a highly structured recruiter onboarding program is to give your new hires a systematic series of repeatable actions or steps to complete.  When followed, these steps lead to predictable and expected outcomes. This makes it far easier for recruiting leaders to quickly identify and diagnose skill and knowledge gaps and provide personalized coaching. 

New hire onboarding doesn't have to be, nor should it be a crapshoot.  To learn more about how to make your recruiter onboarding more effective and efficient, download our ebook today.