{®

© 2014 iCIMS, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Create an OnboardingProgram Focused onCareer Development& Mentoring

IncreaseEmployeeEngagement& Retention

a Research eBook by:

{iCIMS Hire Expectations Institute™ research shows that employees rank training & development opportunities and the availability of a mentoring program in their top five desired employment perks.

Personal goals and priorities influence everything aboutan employee’s performance, from their decision to applyto a job at your company to their decision to stay and grow with you over time. Employers need to be aware of these priorities to create an onboarding program that will keep new hires engaged and position them for success.

To this end, iCIMS Hire Expectations Institute™ surveyed more than 450 talent acquisition professionals and 400 employees to learn what aspects of company culture best support new hires for success. Our goal is to help you gain a better understanding of how your company culture and programs can keep top talent engaged and growing within your organization—rather than seeking greener pastures elsewhere.

For more information aboutother employment perks on this list, check out

iCIMS Hire Expectations Institute™’s research-based eBook “Why Would I Want to Work for You?”

*Facts highlighted with this icon are proven through Hire Expectations Institute research.

Share these facts with your friends and colleagues via your social media outlets!

}}

{Increase Employee Engagement & Retention

Create an Onboarding Program Focused on Career Development & Mentoring© 2014 iCIMS, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

®

a Research eBook by:

Why Would IWant to Workfor You?Job Seekers Offer Guidanceon How to Position Your CompanyCulture to Attract the Best Hires

®

Employees Are Asking forPersonal Development OpportunitiesAre You Listening?

{ Employees Want a Supportive,Nurturing Work Environment

}© 2014 iCIMS, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Which of the FollowingBest Describes YourCompany Culture?

The majority of employees prefer to work in a family-like, team-oriented environment that emphasizes mentoring and will nurture their career development.

The majority of hiring professionals report that they offer employees this kind of supportive working environment. This is a valuable aspect of your employment brand that you can leverage to hire and retain top talent—if it’s true.

EMPLOYEESHIRINGPROFESSIONALS

What Type of CompanyCulture Best Suits Your Personality?

0%

20%

10%

40%

30%

50%

Family-like, with afocus on mentoring,nurturing, and teamwork

1Results-oriented andcompetitive, with a focuson personal achievement

2Dynamic, entrepreneurial,with a focus on risk-takingand innovation

3Hierarchical, structured,and controlled, with a focuson efficiency and stability

4

®

49%

42%

21%24%

19%

9%11%

24%

1 2 3 4

Increase Employee Engagement & RetentionCreate an Onboarding Program Focused on Career Development & Mentoring

What Types of Employee CareerDevelopment Activities Does YourCompany Provide Or Subsidize?

HIRING PROFESSIONALS

}© 2014 iCIMS, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%

Professional seminars,webinars, or podcasts

Tuition reimbursement

Mentoring programs

Internships or apprenticeships

In-person networking events

A library of career orjob-oriented books

We do not provide any careerdevelopment curriculum for employees

Other

®

{ Employers Believe That They Are ProvidingCareer Development Opportunities

62%

Internal training programs 63%

47%

31%

30%

28%

20%

12%

3%

Increase Employee Engagement & RetentionCreate an Onboarding Program Focused on Career Development & Mentoring

Just claiming that you offer a particular kind of culture is not enough—your employees need to be aware of your initiatives and be encouraged by their manager to participate.

Otherwise, even if you think that you offer a supportive environment, you might discover that your employees believe otherwise.

After all, half of the employees surveyedreport that they either are given no career development support from their employer (23%) or that the opportunities offered arenot helpful (27%).

Yes, my employer providesexcellent training and developmentprograms internally

My employer does not offerany form of training or developmentfor employees like me

No, my employer’s training anddevelopment programs (internalor external) are not very useful

Yes, my employer pays for me toattend very useful training classesfrom external providers

But 50% of Employees ReportInsufficient Career Development Trainingfrom Their Employers

Are You Satisfied With the CareerDevelopment Programs ThroughYour Employer?

EMPLOYEES

}© 2014 iCIMS, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

®

{

Increase Employee Engagement & RetentionCreate an Onboarding Program Focused on Career Development & Mentoring

33%

27%

23%

17%

0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0%

Coach ormentor

Hands-onmanager

Democraticmanager

Entrepreneurialmanager

Flat organization(few or no middle

management)

Authoritativemanager

42%

32%

10%

9%

5%

2%

What’s Missing? The Mentor

}© 2014 iCIMS, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

®

{How Do You Want to Be Managed?EMPLOYEES

42% of employees look to their manager to fulfill a coaching or mentoring role.

If an employee’s manager believes in and promotes individual and company-wide training opportunities, the employee is more likely to recognize and take advantage of the development opportunities offered.

While many managers may believe that they fulfill this coach or mentor role, employee feedback reveals that managers still have a long way to go to prove themselvesworthy of the title “mentor.”

Increase Employee Engagement & RetentionCreate an Onboarding Program Focused on Career Development & Mentoring

Employees Report that WorkIs the Best Place to Find a Mentor

0.0%10.0% 30.0%

40.0%20.0%50.0%

60.0% 80.0%70.0%

Current orformer employer

College oruniversity

Other

Professionalassociation

Face-to-facenetworking

Social media(ex. Linkedin)

Mentor website

Print media(ex. Trade magazine)

Govt. Entity(ex. Sm. Bus. Admin)

68%

1%

0%

}© 2014 iCIMS, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

®

{Where Did You Find Your Mentor?EMPLOYEES

The potential for a manager to serve as in a mentoring role begins during the hiring processand continues into new hire onboarding.

Since 42% of employees are already lookingto their manager to fulfill a mentoring role,and 68% of employees indicate that theyhave found a mentor at a current or former employer, the stage is already set for a manager to move into a mentoring capacityas part of the new hire onboarding experience.

iCIMS Hire Expectations Institute™ recommends the following five steps to assure that all employees receive the information needed from the earliest stages of onboarding to develop a healthy, positive relationship with their manager/mentor figure.

7%

11%

1%

1%

4%

8%

VIEW STEPS

Increase Employee Engagement & RetentionCreate an Onboarding Program Focused on Career Development & Mentoring

}© 2014 iCIMS, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

®

{ STEP 1Introduce the Manager as MentorWithin Your New Hire Portal

iCIMS Hire Expectations Institute™ discovered that 51% of employees believe that a career mentor would help them develop, but only 17% report having a mentor today.

To encourage your new hires to see their manager as a potential coach or mentor figure, personalize each new hire’s onboarding experience from the very beginning by featuring information about his or her manager within the new hire onboarding portal.

Include a picture of each manager and a quick Q&A or ask managers to record quick videos highlighting each manager’s short-term goals for the team and leadership style.

Do You Believe That Having a Career/ Professional Mentoris or Would Be Helpful in Developing Your Career?

Do You Have a Mentor Helpingto Drive/Guide Your Career?

0%

20%

10%

30%

60%

50%

40%

Yes, I have a mentor

I do not have a mentor today,but I had one in the past

No, I do not have a mentor andhave never had one in the past

17%

55%

Yes

No

Maybe

28%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

51%

17%

32%

Increase Employee Engagement & RetentionCreate an Onboarding Program Focused on Career Development & Mentoring

EMPLOYEES

EMPLOYEES

0.0% 20.0%10.0% 30.0% 40.0%

Experience in yourchosen job role

Experience in your chosen industry

Experience inmultiple industries

Experience in a relatedbut different job role

Other

Related educationalbackground from any

trade school or university

Experience in a relatedbut different industry

Related educationalbackground from

a top university

39%

1%

7%

33%

4%

3%

6%

8%

Please Identify What You Believe is theMost Important Consideration WhenChoosing a Mentor

EMPLOYEES

}© 2014 iCIMS, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

®

{ STEP 2Highlight the Manager’s Relevant Experienceas Part of New Hire Onboarding

39% of employees identify experience in their chosen job role and 33% of employees identify experience in their chosen industry as the most important factor when choosing a mentor.

As part of the new hire’s first week, include a task for the employee’s manager to discuss the manager’s personal career path and industry experience as part of your onboarding process. Encourage managers to have this discussion over lunch or outside of the office to further build a personal relationship.

Increase Employee Engagement & RetentionCreate an Onboarding Program Focused on Career Development & Mentoring

Rank Employment Perks fromMost to Least Important(Excluding Salary and Health Insurance)

EMPLOYEES

1234

567

89

101112

}© 2014 iCIMS, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

®

{ STEP 3Encourage Managers to Discuss CareerDevelopment & Training with EmployeesManager buy-in can be incredibly important when it comes to an employee’s belief in (and awareness of) your training and development opportunities.

Work with managers to determine the most important career development opportunities that you could offer their new hires—and then begin to implement these programs based upon identified need. By offering career development opportunities tailored to your employees’ needs, you increase the likelihood that managers will support your programs and their direct reports’ success in learning new and necessary skills.

Skills training is vital to employers as a key element in supporting employee ramp-up to productivity, and is highly desirable from the employee perspective as well.

iCIMS Hire Expectations Institute™’s employee survey revealed that job/skills training was ranked as one of the top three employment perks by employees.

Retirement plan

Flexible schedule

Job/skills training and development

Company’s reputation for modernprocesses, management & technology

Mentoring program

Tuition reimbursement

Environmental/community/volunteering program

Employee discount programs

Transportation benefits

Gym or exercise membership or facilities

Free refreshments/free meals

On-site daycare or daycare reimbursment

Increase Employee Engagement & RetentionCreate an Onboarding Program Focused on Career Development & Mentoring

}© 2014 iCIMS, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

®

{ STEP 4Reveal Employee Growth PotentialFrom the BeginningWhile an employee’s direct manager serves as an important cultural ambassador for your company culture, he or she is not the employee’s only potential source for career inspiration.

Within your onboarding portal, include Q&As or short videos featuring some of your game-changing employees.

New hires may be particularly interested in learningmore about those who started with your company atan entry level and have advanced their career withinthe organization.

Increase Employee Engagement & RetentionCreate an Onboarding Program Focused on Career Development & Mentoring

}© 2014 iCIMS, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

®

{ STEP 5Follow Up with New Hires to Create aConstantly-Improving Onboarding Experience

As part of your new hire onboarding program, consider anonymously surveying recent hires a few months into their experience with your organization to assess the support and training they have received to date.

Ask new hires to provide feedback on your onboarding program and training opportunities.

Ask them what aspects of the onboarding program they found most helpful in preparing them forcareer success and what suggestions they have for additional enhancements to your program. Compile this data and analyze trends to make improvementson an ongoing basis.

Increase Employee Engagement & RetentionCreate an Onboarding Program Focused on Career Development & Mentoring

While not every manager will serve as the same kind of mentor, thefact that new hires and employees actively prefer their managersto take on a coaching or mentoring role should be indicative of the importance of providing new hires with ample opportunity to getto know their manager during their onboarding experience.

By including information about specific management styles and potential for growth and development within your new hire portal and onboarding tasks, you increase the likelihood that your new hires will connect with their manager and receive the tools and trainings they need to succeed. iCIMS offers branded New Hire Onboarding Portals to give candidates a sense of what it will be like to work at your organization. Employers may also personalize the new hire experience based upon New Hire Category, offering the opportunity to introduce each new hireto his or her specific tasks and team. New Hire Onboarding Portals are seamlessly branded to the look and feel of each client's existing corporate website and can include specific pictures, logos, terminology, colors, and fonts. Portals can also easily support embedded social media widgets for Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter, and other Web 2.0 technologies to provide further opportunities for interaction and branding.

}© 2014 iCIMS, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

®

{On the candidate side, the new hire onboarding process is incredibly simple, accessible via the web, and can begin as soon as an offer has been accepted.

The iCIMS Talent Platform automates and streamlinesthe talent lifecycles for industry-leading organizations around the world. Offering talent pool building, applicant tracking, and onboarding, iCIMS helps organizations effectively increase candidate and new hire engagement and support new hires. iCIMS clients benefit from an unparalleled customer experience and award-winning customer support teams.

Final Thoughts

To learn more about theiCIMS Talent Platform,call 1-800-889-4422 or

take a look at our demo:

Share this eBook with your network!

Increase Employee Engagement & RetentionCreate an Onboarding Program Focused on Career Development & Mentoring

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{ iCIMS Hire Expectations Institute

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Why Would IWant to Workfor You?Job Seekers Offer Guidanceon How to Position Your CompanyCulture to Attract the Best Hires

Increase Employee Engagement & RetentionCreate an Onboarding Program Focused on Career Development & Mentoring