Quick guide: how to ensure recruitment and onboarding have a positive impact in summary:
- Impact of onboarding on retention: An effective onboarding process can boost worker retention by 82%, underscoring the importance of refining both recruitment and onboarding to keep top talent.
- Creating an engaging recruitment experience: Crafting detailed job descriptions, utilizing multimedia elements for an immersive experience, and adapting to remote recruiting practices are key strategies to attract qualified candidates.
- The role of employer branding: A strong employer brand that highlights company culture, values, and benefits attracts top talent and enhances the recruitment appeal.
- Effective onboarding strategies: Formal onboarding practices, pre-boarding activities, and comprehensive support and training are crucial for new employees’ integration and productivity.
- Continuous improvement through feedback and data analysis: Soliciting feedback from candidates and employees and analysing recruitment data are vital for identifying areas of improvement and optimising recruitment and onboarding processes.
Recruitment and onboarding are often treated as two separate processes.
However, in reality, they’re two halves of the same experience. And, when they work well together, they can make a huge difference to how employees feel about your organisation from day one… but don’t just take my word for it.
According to B2B Assets, an in‑depth onboarding process can improve employee retention by up to 82%. That alone is a pretty strong case for giving both recruitment and onboarding a bit more attention. Get them right, and you’re not just filling roles – you’re setting people up to stay, contribute, and thrive.
In this quick guide, we’ll look at how to create a more engaging recruitment and onboarding experience, and how small improvements can have a big impact on retention, productivity, and employee satisfaction.
How to create an engaging recruitment experience
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Write job descriptions people actually want to read
The recruitment journey starts with the job advertisement, and it’s often the first impression candidates have of your business. Clear, honest, and engaging job descriptions help attract the right candidates, rather than just more candidates.
Alongside outlining responsibilities and requirements, it’s worth giving candidates a sense of what it’s really like to work for you. Highlight your culture, values, benefits (not just mandatory annual leave allowances-kind), and growth opportunities. And if you really want to stand out, consider adding multimedia elements such as short videos, employee testimonials, or virtual office tours to bring roles to life.
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Adapt your recruitment process for modern working
With remote and hybrid working now the norm for many organisations, recruitment processes need to keep up. Virtual interviews, online assessments, and digital job fairs can help create a smooth candidate experience – regardless of location.
Clear communication is key here. Regular updates, transparent timelines, and a well‑structured process help candidates feel informed and valued, even when everything is happening online.
Employer branding: why it matters more than ever
Candidates don’t just choose roles – they choose employers. A strong employer brand helps attract talent that genuinely aligns with your organisation.
Showcasing company culture, values, and employee experiences across your website, social channels, and review platforms helps paint a realistic picture of life inside your business. Done well, employer branding doesn’t just support recruitment – it improves retention, too.
If you want to learn how to make a truly engaging careers pages that attracts the best talent to your business, just follow this link.
So, what is onboarding (and how do you get it right?)
Did you know our own onboarding research discovered that nearly two thirds of employees found their onboarding experience stressful, whilst a fifth of all employees believed they were misled by their employer’s original job listing? It’s vital your own onboarding processes don’t let your new starters down. But, make no mistake: it’s much more than paperwork and IT logins. It’s the process of helping new hires feel confident, connected, and productive as quickly as possible.
Formal onboarding practices, clear ownership between HR and managers, and consistent communication all help new employees settle in faster; delivering better performance and a quicker return on investment.
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Start onboarding before day one
Great onboarding often begins before a new hire walks through the door. Pre‑boarding activities like sharing key information, providing access to systems, or sending a welcome message can significantly reduce first‑day nerves.
Assigning a buddy or mentor is another simple but effective way to help new starters feel supported and part of the team from the outset.
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Provide ongoing support and training
Effective onboarding helps new hires settle in faster… but it mustn’t stop after the first week. Ongoing training, clear expectations, and regular check‑ins help employees build confidence and capability over time.
Investing in development benefits everyone – employees feel supported, and organisations benefit from higher engagement, productivity, and retention.
Why culture and team integration matter
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Attracting the right candidates
Recruitment works best when it reflects your organisation’s culture and values. When candidates understand what you stand for, they’re better placed to judge whether they’ll be a good fit – leading to stronger engagement and longer‑term retention.
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Integrating new hires into their roles
Once hired, successful integration goes beyond task lists. New employees need to understand how their role fits into the wider organisation, what success looks like, and where they can go for support. Open communication, clear goals, and regular feedback all play a crucial role in helping new hires settle in and perform at their best.
Continuously improve with feedback and data
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Encourage feedback
Feedback from candidates and employees offers invaluable insight into what’s working, and what isn’t. Surveys, check‑ins, and informal conversations can all help identify gaps and opportunities for improvement.
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Use data to make better decisions
Tracking metrics such as time‑to‑hire, retention rates, and employee satisfaction helps organisations understand the real impact of their recruitment and onboarding processes.
Using modern recruitment software like Cezanne Recruitment makes it easier to gather, analyse, and act on this data – helping HR teams refine processes, improve experiences, and deliver better outcomes.
Next steps
Recruitment and onboarding play a critical role in shaping employee experience. By creating engaging recruitment journeys, investing in structured onboarding, and embedding culture from the very start, organisations can attract the right people… and keep them.
If you’re looking to improve how you attract, hire, and onboard talent, Cezanne Recruitment can help you bring everything together in one place. From creating a smoother candidate experience to using better data to refine your approach, it’s designed to support HR teams every step of the way.
About the author
Caroline Gleeson was the co-founder of recruitment platform Occupop, and is now the Chief Transformation & Strategy Officer at Cezanne. With a focus on strategic leadership, corporate development, and people, Caroline has a varied background spanning recruitment, HR leadership, project management, journalism, and sales.
