Welcome to Digicorp

Can you recall your FIRST DAY(s)? Your first day at school or at college or in a new family (newlyweds) and finally that nerve-wracking first day at your new job! Well, the word “first day” itself has a potential to send chills down anyone’s spine, isn’t it?

As a new kid on the block, joining a new company can be challenging. Not just because of its newness but because of the first impression of that first day, which stays with you for long. I still remember my first day at work. I didn’t know anyone (except my boss) and I was clueless about what I was supposed to do the whole day. He just explained me everything in 10-minutes and continued with his routine! I wanted to break the silence, but with the little courage I had, it turned out to be the worst first day of my life.

Now being a People Manager myself and being on the other side of the story, I try to make sure that the new recruits at Digicorp do not experience the same kind of first day that I had, wondering when to quit. Instead I make sure that they feel excited about the new job by setting the right tone for their entire journey at Digicorp.

So here’s how we set the stage right for the new recruits at Digicorp:

There is no silent treatment between the job offer and the first day. We stay in constant touch with the new recruits. Also, a lot of paperwork is completed online to avoid the documentation work on the first day.

In order to make the first day memorable, the new recruits are warmly welcomed with a welcome kit, which includes Digicorp’s customized diary, a pen, a chocolate, a t-shirt and a welcome certificate with personalized messages from the respective teams. Also, we order lunch for them along with their co-workers. Believe me, having lunch with your team on first day is a great ice-breaker.

Digicorp welcome kit

The induction process starts with our CEO addressing the new recruits. He explains the vision of the company and two more important things; How Digicorp Product Teams work and How they can grow in their respective roles at Digicorp. This interaction gives them a very clear idea of what to expect from the journey.
In order to make the new recruits familiar with the company culture, she is exposed to a larger picture of actually what it would be like to work at Digicorp. This includes giving her an office tour, a chance to see how team members at various levels interact with each other, and a sneak-peak into the behavior and the values we believe in.
The new recruits are then introduced to the Engineering Manager, Principal Designer, other founders, Product Manager and her team mates.
The respective Product Managers becomes their mentors. From accompanying in the coffee breaks and/or the lunch breaks to answering any questions ranging from the itinerary on day 1 to their growth and future at Digicorp, the PM becomes a single point of contact for the new recruits.
Day 1 ends here and Day-2 marks the onset of the structured training program designed for every new recruit. The training program sets the short-term and long-term goals and milestones for them followed by one-on-ones with the managers to share feedback and decide next steps.

Last but not the least, our feedback mechanism asks the new recruits for their honest feedback on the overall process. Things they liked and disliked about their first day, the overall training program, any queries or suggestions pertaining to their roles and overall experience at Digicorp. This way the overall conversation becomes two-way and we learn from the real customers (the new recruits). We also implement the necessary feedback to ensure we are building a great place to work.

All-in-all, we try and give ample time to onboard and train new recruits so that they get comfortable working independently. We never expect the them to hit the ground running immediately. We have experienced that speeding up the onboarding and training can be detrimental to the new recruits’ progress and results in dissatisfaction, under performance and hence retention in the long run.

So, this is our way to ensure that new recruits stay and succeed. Any suggestions?