.png)
Starting a new team member in the midst of a lockdown can either be a disorganised mess or a successful win. Irrespective of pandemics, the onboarding and induction process is always something that should be a positive experience for both the business and the new starter. We recently assisted in the placement of a team member that was headhunted, interviewed, hired and commenced in the first few weeks of lockdown. We sat down with her to discuss how the experience of making the decision to change roles and start mid lockdown was for her.
1. You had to interview for your new role at the beginning of this lockdown. How did you find the interview process having to do everything via Zoom?
The process in interviewing over Zoom was really simple and was able to be done from the comfort of my own home which always takes away initial first nerves. I found the process just as effective, sometimes in zoom interviews you lose the momentum if there are internet glitches but was lucky this wasn't the case with all three of my interviews.
2. Employees have hesitations when it comes to changing roles during this current lockdown. What did you see in this opportunity that gave you the confidence to make that career move?
My role was within a team that is in a growth phase and this took away hesitations about the longevity of the position .If the role was going to have conflicts with lockdown there would have been a pause on it entirely and it's a position that can be done from a remote capacity. What attracted me to the role was the industry - Real Estate is forever changing and growing and it's an extremely busy industry at the moment. I knew it was the right role for me based on the job description, my experience and personality traits. I would have been left wondering why I didn't go for the opportunity when I had the chance and wasn't going to let a lockdown alter that. Essentially lockdown isn't going to be forever so thinking of the future was also in my thought process.
3. You are in your third week now in your new role and not only have you never met your colleagues in person or seen your office, you have started your first day working from home. How has the experience of onboarding been for you during this time?
Not only has my team been great with my on-boarding process but our dedicated onboarding team have been instrumental in my set up over the past few weeks. They ensured my laptop arrived before my start date and was in working order. When I logged in on my first day all my passwords and logins were working from the get go. Our operations team set me up with a 2-week in-depth plan which covered meet & greets and information sessions and live demos. Even people not within my direct team have offered their help along the way with any questions I might have which is really settling to see. I've had regular calls from our on-boarding team and people within my team to see how I am settling in and tracking. Very excited to meet everyone in person though!
4. Comparing this to other roles you have had, does anything stand out to you as a better experience in terms of beginning a new role?
The team members have made all the difference and the process and systems they have set up make remote working really efficient. In comparing it to my last role I have found this one far greater, they look at all the little details and removed any initial first day jitters you get with a new role. I found it really valuable not only to have met with everyone in my first 2 weeks but also understand their position within the company and importantly how I work with them. I went from being with a company that had no induction process to one that has an outstanding one.