Automation Overview
Skill Level: Advanced
Time: 45 minutes
Useful for: People looking for a better way to engage with candidates before and after a placement.
Results: Creates a better candidate experience, reduces placement falloff, and encourages redeployment.
Workflow Builder
Date-based Trigger
Send Email
Send Text
Send Survey
Send Notification
Add Task
Why is this helpful?
New hires run the risk of encountering a lot of friction and communication gaps. Maybe they need to submit paperwork, maybe they need a reminder on where and whom to report on their first day. Whatever the scenario, it can start off the relationship on the wrong foot. With Bullhorn Automation, you can automate the communication process pinned off a candidate’s start date and text, email or set call tasks to build better relationships from day one.
Additionally, these automations help keep contractors engaged with your firm and ready for their next gig by providing ongoing followup and valuable content after their initial placement.
Keep candidates engaged and employed with your firm
Prevent assignment falloff
Encourage feedback, referrals, and reviews
Reduce manual tasks like emailing and texting on the first day
Minimizes human error by automating based on start dates
Reduces new hire departure rates and no-call/no-show
Provide new hires with a point-of-contact at your firm as well as answers to typical first-day questions
Deeper dive
Generally, new hire automations trigger based on a start date and actions can happen before, on or after. The biggest benefit is that a set of rules (workflow) can happen for each candidate’s specific start date. This mass automation makes it easy to structure communication, while personalizing based on each candidates specific data.
Send onboarding documentation (copy HR) upon hire
Send welcome email 1 day before start date
Send text on first day of assignment
Send survey 1 week after start date
Here's a step-by-step guide of how to setup an onboarding workflow.
- Create an automation list based on the new hire’s placement date OR based on the placement status. You can then trigger actions before and after the placement date.
- Set candidate status to placed.
- Send notification to the recruiter.
- Send onboarding documentation and copy HR.
The first step after a candidate has been chosen for a role is to gather their paperwork. Take the strain out of the onboarding process and immediately send an email to HR and the candidate along with any appropriate paperwork. This can all be triggered on a stage of ‘new placement’ or whatever status you use for new hires. - Send welcome email to candidate.
Hello %FIRSTNAME%, Congratulations on your new role at %PLACEMENTCOMPANYNAME% as a %PLACEMENTJOBTITLE%!
We are excited to have you as part of the %YOUR_COMPANY_NAME% team. You are scheduled to start on %PLACEMENTSTARTDATE%, if you need anything at all please don't hesitate to reach out!
Congrats again on the new role and we look forward to working together! Thanks! %OWNERFIRSTNAME%
- Send reminder text and/or email for first day.
Hey %FIRSTNAME%, tomorrow is your start day! Do you have any questions or anything I can help with?
- Send a notification to the recruiter on first day.
- Send week 1 followup email to candidate.
Hey %FIRSTNAME%, How has your first week been? It is always an adjustment getting used to a new role, so just want to be sure you know we are here if you are having any challenges.
Don't forget to submit your weekly timecard for approval!
Please let me know if there is anything at all we can help with. Thanks! %OWNERFIRSTNAME%
- Send followup text message from recruiter 6 weeks after placement date.
Hey %FIRSTNAME%, now that you are a couple of months in, I just wanted to reconnect. How is everything?
- Send NPS survey request email and/or text.
Also, we always like to track how happy people are with %PLACEMENTCOMPANYNAME%, do you mind answering 2 questions when you get a free second? %SURVEYLINK%
- Bonus points
- Send email request for referrals (with bonus offering).
- Send email 30 days to end date with career tips and job opportunities – See how to redeploy contract employees.
Final Thoughts
Along with offering greater efficiency throughout the onboarding process, automation can also facilitate engagement with candidates which can lead to future hires and redeployment (which helps your bottom line). Additionally, these workflows can be designed to offer direct communication between employer and new hire, with instant feedback helping to further improve the onboarding process for future hires.
Onboarding automation is all about reducing friction. The benefits are many and varied, and stretch far beyond simply offering both the organization and the candidate a smooth experience.