How can you ensure niche talent feels valued and supported in the onboarding process?
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Niche talent is a valuable asset for any organization, but it can also be challenging to onboard and integrate them effectively. Niche talent refers to professionals who have specialized skills, knowledge, or experience that are in high demand but low supply. They may come from different backgrounds, industries, or disciplines than the rest of your team. How can you ensure that they feel valued and supported in the onboarding process, and not isolated or overwhelmed? Here are some tips to help you create a positive and productive experience for your niche talent.
Before you start the onboarding process, you need to understand the specific needs and expectations of your niche talent. What are their goals, motivations, and preferences? What are their strengths and weaknesses? What are the gaps or challenges they face in adapting to your organization's culture, processes, or systems? You can use various methods to gather this information, such as surveys, interviews, assessments, or feedback sessions. The more you know about your niche talent, the better you can tailor the onboarding process to suit them.
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Nick Gomez
Helping AEC companies scale their business at Gleky
Don't onboard your niche talent like everyone else. Tailor it to their unique needs. Niche talent is different. They have unique skills, experiences, and perspectives. Treat them that way in your onboarding process.
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Laura Neary
Civil & Infrastructure Recruiter QLD
Niche talent - hard to come by! Some of my clients in the civil space adopt the following practices to retain top talent: - industry specific training - mentoring from experienced engineers, to help them navigate the complexities of their industry and role. - access to the appropriate tools/technology. - project team integration - introducing potential new starters to the project team during onboarding is a game changer! - project exposure - ensuring niche talent are on projects that align with their expertise and interests. - recognition of their talents - letting them know the impact they make on critical projects and what their presence truly means. - regular feedback/performance reviews.
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Niche talent may need more support than other new hires, especially in the initial stages of the onboarding process. They may have questions, concerns, or difficulties that require specific attention or guidance. You can provide personalized support by assigning them a mentor, a buddy, or a coach who can help them navigate the organization, learn the ropes, and overcome any obstacles. You can also create customized learning plans, resources, or tools that address their unique learning needs and goals. By providing personalized support, you can help your niche talent feel more confident and comfortable in their new role.
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Emmanuel Penson-Gravel
Associate Director | The Bachrach Group
Assign a buddy: When new hires are paired with a buddy who they regularly meet on a weekly or monthly basis, they’ll have someone to turn to for questions and concerns. This can be especially helpful for niche talent who may have unique questions or concerns that aren’t addressed in the standard onboarding process.
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Pete Stanton
RPO Operations Manager | Reed Talent Solutions | Defence 🚀 Engineering ⚙️ Technology 💻
You should be adaptable to the candidates preferences, and ensure you clarify what they are before proceeding. How often do they want to be communicated with? By which means? How can they contact you? And how quickly can they typically expect a response? Gaining transparency on both sides will go a long way to ensuring a positive onboarding experience.
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Niche talent may feel isolated or disconnected from their peers, especially if they work remotely or in different locations. They may also face communication or collaboration barriers due to their diverse backgrounds, perspectives, or expertise. You can connect them with peers by creating opportunities for socialization, networking, or team-building. You can organize virtual or in-person events, activities, or projects that allow them to interact with their colleagues, share their insights, or learn from each other. You can also encourage them to join communities of practice, interest groups, or affinity networks that align with their passions, values, or identities. By connecting them with peers, you can help your niche talent feel more engaged and integrated in the organization.
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Busie Sekgonetso
Passionate about igniting People Potential | Industrial Psychologist | Pioneering Mind | One Young World Ambassador
I absolutely agree with this perspective. In my experience, Buddy programs can be very effective in pairing niche talent with like-minded individuals who can support their integration to the organisation. This builds a sense of belonging and community right from the onset.
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Harry Stone
Talent Acquisition Lead | Passionate about changing others' lives one job at a time
Create an onboarding buddy system so the individual has someone to help them onboard. If the current department doesn't have anyone with a similar background, then see if there's someone on a cross-functional team who can help the individual acclimate to the work environment.
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Niche talent may feel undervalued or overlooked if their contributions are not recognized or appreciated. They may also feel frustrated or demotivated if their expectations are not met or their feedback is not heard. You can recognize their contributions by providing them with regular and constructive feedback, praise, or rewards. You can also involve them in decision-making, problem-solving, or innovation processes that leverage their skills, knowledge, or experience. You can also create career development opportunities, such as promotions, rotations, or projects, that challenge them and help them grow. By recognizing their contributions, you can help your niche talent feel more satisfied and loyal to the organization.
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Marilyn B.
Talent Acquisition Manager 👩🏽🤝👩🏼 | DEI supporter 💗 | Neuro-distinct Dyslexic | Top recruiting Voice
In my experience, recognizing their potential contribution before they even join is a huge motivator. If the team is looking forward to the person's contribution, this may create a sense of engagement, belonging and loyalty. I like to let the team know how I feel the person will be contributing and what they bring to the table. You do need to be careful though to not make this overwhelming and create too much pressure. It's a fine balance between exciting and setting expectations of contributions at the right level.
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Paul McGinn
Senior Recruitment Sourcer (Risk & Compliance) @ Revolut 🚀 Building a financial #SuperApp one hire at a time!!
Positive re-enforcement and engagement is another simple, yet massively effect, way of making employees feel valued and included. Now imagine how this would feel if you are newcomer into a new organisation and a new team, this would feel very settling and reassuring to any one.
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The onboarding process is not a one-time event, but a continuous and dynamic process that requires constant evaluation and improvement. You can evaluate and improve the onboarding process by collecting and analyzing data, such as metrics, surveys, or testimonials, that measure the effectiveness and impact of the process on your niche talent. You can also solicit and implement feedback, suggestions, or recommendations from your niche talent, their managers, or their peers on how to improve the process. You can also review and update the process regularly to ensure that it aligns with the changing needs, expectations, or goals of your niche talent. By evaluating and improving the onboarding process, you can ensure that it delivers the best results for your niche talent and your organization.
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Sony Kaur
CHRO | Ex- Wipro | Ex- Pyramid | Ex- US Tech
For me onboarding is the show via which the new joiner gets a taste of the company culture make it the way you want the employee to treat the company for the entire tenure. For niche specially you can conduct a post onboarding session for doubt clearing and get a HR buddy assigned to them so that they can reach out whenever they have a query. As niche talents are often impulsive and difficult to handle. Hence, we need to deal with their query with utmost experience.
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Nick Gomez
Helping AEC companies scale their business at Gleky
Don't let your onboarding process stagnate. Continuously evaluate and improve it to ensure that it meets the needs of your niche talent.
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Ashley McGrath
CEO • Gender Equity Champion • PhD Candidate
🤝The level of value and support a new niche employee feels will be largely driven by the welcome received from existing employees 🤝 Prepare existing employees to greet their new teammate by sharing their background, role, start date and priorities for the first few weeks. This will take the guess work from existing employees and enable them to offer the most relevant value and support 👍
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Sabina Hüttner
Global Talent Acquisition | Senior Sourcer | D&I Sourcer with a focus in Engineering
Start with the onboarding even before the new hire starts. In some countries a welcome letter would be enough or giving a call would be highly appreciated for some cultures. Personalize the onboarding according to the country/culture. A body or a mentor will be helpful to provide a safe space for asking questions. A short companies presentation, training sessions can help the new hires to get familiar with the company cultures and processes. This way you will also reduce the risk that the new hire leaves in the first 3 months
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