Accidentally in Code

Tag: onboarding

  • A good onboarding experience for new hires requires two key things

    A good onboarding experience for new hires requires two key things

    My latest in Quartz…

    In my time as a manger, I’ve encountered quite a few people who were badly onboarded. As a rule it takes as long a time or longer to fix it as it took to poorly onboard them. Sometimes we’re able to re-onboard people and make them successful… and sometimes it’s too late.

    It’s always baffling to me when companies do all the work to hire someone and then don’t set them up to be successful. Hiring is so time consuming. Managing people who are not delivering in their role is time consuming, too, not to mention emotionally draining. Onboarding people and helping them to be effective is—by far—the easiest option.

    So what does a good onboarding experience look like?

    Continue reading…

  • Interview: How to create momentum on day zero

    Interview: How to create momentum on day zero

    Capture d’écran 2018-04-22 à 09.49.06.png

    I did an interview with GitPrime about hiring and onboarding. I really like how it came out, and I hope you like it too!

    “We talk about how engineers hate process,” says Cate Huston, Mobile Lead at Automattic, “but here’s my theory: engineers often love process, but when they love it, they call it culture.”

    It’s a classic example of what you do being more important than what you say. Of course, put all the important stuff in your onboarding materials—but also conduct your interviews and onboarding in a way that’s honest to the culture you foster every day.

    “This is foundational,” Huston says. “Think about the kind of culture you want to build on the team, then put in processes that back that up — and talk about it openly.”

    In this interview, Huston shares how she uses her hiring and onboarding process to develop the culture she wants to see at Automattic — and create momentum even before individuals have joined the team.

    Keep reading…