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Experiencing heavy turnover in your AEC marketing department, especially after a new hire’s first few years?

Are you frustrated because your new marketers are not productive quickly?

Are your new marketers making mistakes that cost you more time, resources, and frustration than needed?

Wanting to make the new hire experience just better for both you and your new hire?

We all know how difficult it’s been to find and hire experienced marketing coordinators.

We are all usually underwater with deadlines and need help. Once we get that approval to hire, we need to not only find someone quickly but get that person up to speed and fully functionally ASAP. If you are one of the lucky ones to find this marketing coordinator unicorn, you will want to make sure you set a great first impression so he/she stays with your company for a long time.

This is where a great onboarding experience can come into play. And, that’s what today’s episode is about.

I’m going to break down the different phases of onboarding and give you some ideas to make this experience better for the new hire and you so everyone feels good about the decision and even better, the new hire can feel like they are making meaningful contributions right away.

But I have a quick question for you before we dive into today’s topic. Have you shared this podcast with a friend or colleague? And if not, could please do me a favor? Grab the link to this episode or grab a link to the show and share it with a friend that’s also hiring new AEC marketing coordinators or is maybe a new coordinator themselves. My mission is to use my podcast to help as many marketers new to AEC Proposals as possible, so I’d be so grateful if you could help me out with that.

All right. So let’s dive in.

Let’s start with the question of what is onboarding?

Onboarding is the bridge between the résumé screening, interviewing, and selection of a job candidate and the annual review measuring how that employee is doing in her job. It should be customized for the employee’s role and delivers information about both the firm and their specific position in a just-in-time or as-needed format. This is different than orientation which is usually a brain dump of information and a plethora of paperwork on day 1.

I want to set a caveat here. My background is strictly marketing, and I have never worked in HR nor have any HR training or background. However, over the past 15 or so years, I have managed marketing departments at three different firms. In this experience, I have had the opportunity to hire new staff, inherit good and bad staff, and the unfortunate action of letting staff go. Through these experiences, I have seen the good, bad, and non-existent onboarding for marketing (even my own varying levels of onboarding). And, recently I’ve been onboarded to a virtual firm and have onboarded other marketing specialists virtually too.

Through this experience, I really appreciated the importance of quick and thorough onboarding.

Pre-Boarding Phase

And this process begins before the new hire’s first day of work. This is the Pre-Boarding Phase. This phase begins the minute the offer letter is accepted and runs through the first-day work is scheduled.

How many of us have accepted a new position and then don’t hear from our new employer until just before the scheduled first day? That two to three-week time period is crucial to forming the new hires’ initial opinions of your firm. It will squash any of the buyer’s remorse syndrome that the new hire may be feeling. Also, if you are hiring an all-star away from another firm, chances are that firm is trying to get that person to stay. You want to use this time period to assure your new hire that he/she is making the right decision to come to your firm.

This is where working with your HR partner becomes valuable. You can work with that partner to:

-Send orientation materials, benefit forms, and new employee FAQs before the first day. This allows the employees to do the paperwork before they arrive. It also allows them time to select their benefits at their pace.

-Create a first-week schedule for the new hire that includes meetings, introductory visits, lunches, etc.

-Send your new hire a welcome email and include the information needed to be comfortable on her first day. Explain what she will need to know to get into the parking lot/garage and front door. Also, explain who she can expect to meet once they walk through the door and if she should pack a lunch or plan to go out.

-If your new hire is starting virtually, make sure all of the meetings, how to access them, and any expectations of when to sign in and if she is expected to be on camera should also be included.

-And, don’t forget about they’ll need IT and equipment. Work with your HR And/or IT partners to make sure all equipment and software access is set up before day 1.

This initial onboarding period isn’t just for the new hire. It is also a chance to begin introducing your firm to the new hire. Oftentimes, we announce new employees the day they begin or in the next internal newsletter (which could be weeks or months from their start date). It makes everyone feel more comfortable when they know someone new is starting and what they look like. Get a picture of the new hire (even a snapshot or clip it from LinkedIn), and include that along with a brief bio of their previous experience and what his/her role will be at the firm. Other items to include would be the start date, where that person will be sitting/working, and company contact information.

Two other items I have put together in the past for my marketing departments included a Resource Guidebook and Help Source Cards.

The Resource Guidebook can be available on an intranet page, as a PDF, or printed and assembled in an actual binder. The idea is that it’s one quick place the new hire refers to in the first few months of employment. Ideally, it contains information to answer most of the new hire’s questions. It is not to replace communication with you, but rather as a quick go-to resource to empower the new hire to work right away and not feel like he/she is bothering anyone with “less important” or “silly” questions.

It should be specific to your marketing department rather than your firm’s employee handbook. Suggested information includes:

Firm introduction

Company organization chart

Marketing guidelines

Where to find marketing information

Proposal/collateral production

Proposal/collateral assembly/packaging

Post-production/shipping/delivery

To help you determine what information to include in your Resource Guidebook, I have prepared a detailed questionnaire. This can serve as a starting place for your marketing team to discuss potential new hire needs. You can download it from the show notes page.

The Help Source card is a small card (index card, half sheet of paper, etc.) that includes some basic information on where to get help at a moment’s notice such as IT, marketing, and management team content info, and any office access information. It should be small enough that the new hire can keep it at her desk or in his pocket or her purse. If you give out a swag bag or box, the Help Source card can be included in that.

I have put together another questionnaire to help guide you through gathering the information for the Help Source Card. You can download that on the show notes page.

Another thing that I have seen firms do recently, is to send a swag bag to the new hire’s home before the first day. This often-included firm-branded swag such as coffee mugs, t-shirts, notebooks, etc. In the past, you may have provided this type of swag on their first day and placed it on their desk. But, with the rise of virtual onboarding, many firms are sending this home. I think sending this type of swag box to the new hire’s home prior to the first day really helps create a welcoming experience and their family can also see it too.

Now, it’s time for the New Hire’s First Day

And, You never get a second chance to make a first impression!

We know that preparing for your new hire’s first day can add extra work to your already busy schedule. Nevertheless, it is imperative that you plan ahead to make sure the new employee feels valued right away.

Make your new hire’s first day positive—one that they will remember fondly and want to recreate for other new hires later on—and keep them from experiencing “new employee’s remorse.”

The first day is about getting settled, paying a visit to HR, beginning the socialization process by meeting the team, having some quality time with the supervisor, and starting to learn the organizational culture.

Remember that the first day is also about building a sense of belonging. You don’t want your new hire sitting alone at his desk on day two because no one invited him to lunch. This is why I started creating a first-week schedule and sharing it with the new hire and marketing department. It really helped with the planning ahead.

First 90 Days

After that first day, begins the first 90 days. This will include many firsts for the new employee—first staff meeting, the first problem to solve independently, first proposal/deadline, first chance to suggest new, creative ideas, first encounters with technical staff, or even first win!

It’s important to establish goals for the first 90 days. What do you want the new hire to have learned about the firm, the marketing department processes, etc.? What are the expectations of them shadowing other marketers and/or leading their own assignments and/or proposals?

Setting these expectations from the beginning will make it easier for both of you to determine the progress the new hire is or isn’t making and be able to identify if additional resources, training, or support is needed and what type.

Then, make the time, as the supervisor, to check infrequently. I would recommend weekly one-on-ones with new hires. Ask questions, get feedback, and provide support during these one-on-ones. Doing these meetings during the first 90 days is critical to not only evaluate the onboarding progress but also help to correct it quickly if needed.

Also, during this time provide opportunities for your new hire to work with different marketing personnel and/or different technical staff. Have her work with the roadway design group on a proposal and then another group on another assignment. Also, try to vary the assignments. This will help her to learn more about your firm’s services/qualifications as well as to get to know different leaders in your firm.

Recognize the employee’s contributions (or early wins). This can include a congratulatory note from you or your principal as appropriate.

First Year

Just as the first 90 days are important, onboarding doesn’t stop at day 91! The entire first year can set the stage for a new hire to determine if they stay or go. Employees who don’t feel they are a good fit with your firm will be looking to move on before they invest too much time and energy in your firm.

Continuous check-ins, feedback both positive and negative, and recognition for good work are some of the keys to making the new hire feel welcomed and valued. And it makes a lot of sense. If we get along with our coworkers, work on exciting and meaningful work, and feel like we get recognized for our contributions, don’t we all want that?

One way to do this is to set incremental goals throughout the first year, instead of just 12-month goals that you evaluate at year one. And be realistic about what that new hire can actually achieve, based on their experience and background, in that first year.

For example, at my current firm, we have 90-day goals, 3-month goals, 6-month goals, and then 12-month goals. While we meet weekly for production-type conversations, we also meet specifically to talk about these goals at those increments. And we established all of these goals during my first week at the firm. As a new hire, in a brand-new position that was completely different from anything I had ever done, it gave me a clear understanding of how much was expected of me and at what pace.

For example, in my first 3 months as a CRM consultant, I was expected to only shadow CRM implementations. Then, in my second 3 months, I was expected to lead CRM implementations with another consultant shadowing me. I wasn’t thrown to clients on my own. In fact, the expectation was that I wasn’t going to lead any CRM implementations on my own until 6 months into my new role. And, as a new hire, I was relieved and appreciated the time and training allotted.

Take the time to establish incremental first-year goals with your new hire during their first week. Then schedule those incremental check-in meetings on the calendar at that time. And, finally, be realistic about the pace of what you think they can achieve and what assignments they can lead. Expecting the new hire to do too much, too soon, may lead to burnout, and frustration and they might just leave. I know you’re busy and need the help, but taking this time to slow down the onboarding and training will pay off in the years to come.

And, if your new hire is brand new to the industry and will be working on proposals, look for outside training to help accelerate their learning. That’s exactly why I created the Proposal Pro Course. Because, as a marketing director, if I could have the new coordinators take an online training course while learning about the firm and its processes, it would have saved us a ton of time. And, I couldn’t find one so I created one. The Proposal Pro Course is the only, online comprehensive proposal management training course available. I take students from how to read an RFP to set up a compliance matrix and production schedule to how to lead an effective proposal review meeting and a lot more. It opens once per year and registration for 2022 opens in May. Make sure you’re on my email list so you don’t miss out.

What can you do?

So we covered the pre-boarding phase, the first day, the first 90 days, and the first year. You may be thinking, this is great Lindsay, but my HR department has its own process and I can’t change it. And, I get it. There is going to be parts of your HR orientation that you can’t change. Or, you might not be in complete control of the hiring and orientation process, there are some elements of the marketing onboarding process that you can implement. You can:

Develop the Resource Guidebook, Help Source Card, and First Week Schedule;

Create some kind of welcome gift – swag bag, pens, paper, etc.

Establish the first day’s experience;

Develop 90 days, 3 months, 6 months, and 12-month goals with the new hire

Develop the training track and first assignments.

And, don’t forget to grab the Resource Guidebook and Help Source Card questionnaires that will help get you started to create those for your marketing department. You can download those for free over on the show notes page – marketerstakeflight.com/60.

I hope you enjoyed this episode. I hope this gives you some ideas to enhance your new hire onboarding experience for your marketing department. I know we have a lot of creative people in the audience. So tell us, friends, what are some creative ways or experiences you provide to your new marketers? Share them with us in the comments on the show notes page.

All right, I’ve got more AEC marketing goodness coming your way, same time, same place next week. So I’ll see you then. Bye for now.