Onboarding Guide

Create structured onboarding programs that accelerate new hire productivity through clear milestones, organized resources, and measurable outcomes.

When to Use This Skill

• Designing company onboarding

• Creating role-specific plans

• Building onboarding checklists

• Measuring onboarding effectiveness

• Improving time-to-productivity

Methodology Foundation

Based on Gallup Q12 engagement research and BambooHR onboarding studies, combining:

• 30-60-90 day frameworks

• Milestone-based progression

• Social integration focus

• Measurable competency gates

What Claude Does vs What You Decide

Claude Does You Decide

Structures onboarding phases Timeline flexibility

Creates milestone checklists Resource availability

Suggests activities Buddy assignments

Identifies success metrics Performance standards

Drafts welcome materials Cultural elements

Instructions

Step 1: Define Onboarding Goals

Core Objectives:

Objective Measure Target

Productivity Time to first contribution 30 days

Engagement Pulse survey score 4+/5

Retention 90-day retention 95%+

Culture Manager satisfaction 4+/5

Compliance Training completion 100%

Step 2: Design Phase Structure

30-60-90 Framework:

Phase Days Focus Outcome

Absorb 1-30 Learn, observe, connect Understands role

Adapt 31-60 Apply, contribute, ask Making contributions

Accelerate 61-90 Own, improve, lead Fully productive

Step 3: Create Milestone Checklists

Checklist Categories:

• Administrative setup

• Tools and systems

• People and relationships

• Role-specific training

• Cultural integration

Step 4: Build Resource Library

Resource Organization:

Category Contents

Company Vision, values, org chart

Role JD, expectations, success criteria

Tools System access, tutorials

People Team bios, stakeholder map

Culture Norms, rituals, communication

Step 5: Measure Success

Checkpoint Assessments:

Day Assessment Owner

7 First week check-in Manager

14 Buddy feedback Buddy

30 30-day review Manager

60 Progress assessment Manager

90 Performance review Manager + HR

Examples

Example 1: Complete 30-60-90 Onboarding Plan

Input:

Create onboarding plan for:

• Role: Marketing Manager
• Team: 3 marketers, reports to VP Marketing
• Key tools: HubSpot, Google Analytics, Figma
• First project: Q2 campaign planning

Output:

30-60-90 Onboarding Plan: Marketing Manager

Role Overview

Pre-Start Checklist (Before Day 1)

IT/Admin:

• Email account created
• Laptop ordered and configured
• Building access/badge
• HubSpot seat provisioned
• Google Analytics access
• Figma seat added
• Slack workspace invite

Manager Prep:

• First week calendar blocked
• Buddy assigned and briefed
• Welcome message drafted
• Desk/workspace ready
• Team notified of start date

Phase 1: ABSORB (Days 1-30)

Goal

Understand the company, team, and role fundamentals

Week 1: Orientation

Day 1 - Welcome

Day 2-3 - Company Deep Dive

• Complete company history module
• Review brand guidelines
• Read last 2 quarterly reports
• Watch CEO all-hands recording
• Review competitor landscape doc

Day 4-5 - Marketing Team Orientation

• 1:1 with each team member (3 × 30 min)
• Review team OKRs and metrics
• Understand current campaigns
• Access marketing dashboards
• Review content calendar

Week 2: Systems and Stakeholders

Tools Training:

• HubSpot certification (8 hours)
• Google Analytics walkthrough
• Figma basics tutorial
• Internal wiki navigation

Stakeholder Meetings:

Week 3-4: Role Immersion

Activities:

• Shadow team members on key tasks
• Review past 6 months of campaigns
• Analyze top-performing content
• Understand lead scoring model
• Map customer journey documentation

Deliverable: Present "30-Day Observations" to VP Marketing

• What I've learned
• Questions I have
• Initial opportunities I see

Phase 1 Milestones

Phase 1 Success Criteria

Phase 2: ADAPT (Days 31-60)

Goal

Start contributing and take ownership of initial responsibilities

Responsibilities Ramp

Week 5-6: Supporting Role

• Co-lead weekly marketing meeting
• Review and approve team content
• Begin 1:1s with direct reports
• Contribute to campaign ideation

Week 7-8: Primary Ownership

• Lead weekly marketing meeting
• Own content calendar decisions
• First budget planning input
• Draft Q2 campaign strategy

Key Activities

Campaign Planning:

• Analyze Q1 campaign performance
• Interview Sales on lead quality
• Research competitor Q2 activities
• Draft Q2 campaign brief

Team Management:

• Establish 1:1 cadence with reports
• Complete first performance check-ins
• Identify team training needs

Deliverable: Q2 Campaign Proposal Presentation

Phase 2 Milestones

Phase 2 Success Criteria

Phase 3: ACCELERATE (Days 61-90)

Goal

Operate independently and drive impact

Full Ownership

Responsibilities:

• Full ownership of Q2 campaign execution
• Team performance management
• Budget management ($X/quarter)
• Cross-functional project leadership
• Process improvement initiatives

Key Activities

Campaign Execution:

• Launch Q2 campaign
• Establish reporting cadence
• First optimization cycle

Strategic Contribution:

• Participate in H2 planning
• Identify one process improvement
• Present results to leadership

Deliverable: 90-Day Impact Report

• Campaigns launched/contributed
• Metrics influenced
• Team development actions
• Recommendations for next 90 days

Phase 3 Milestones

Phase 3 Success Criteria

Resources

Company

• Employee handbook
• Org chart
• Company values document
• Strategic plan summary

Marketing

• Brand guidelines
• Content style guide
• Campaign playbooks
• Competitor analysis

Tools

• HubSpot training library
• GA4 course link
• Figma tutorials
• Internal wiki

People

• Team bios and backgrounds
• Stakeholder map
• Slack channel guide
• Meeting cadence overview

Example 2: Quick First Week Schedule

Input:

Create a first week schedule for a new software engineer.

Output:

First Week Schedule: Software Engineer

Day 1 (Monday) - Welcome & Setup

Day 2 (Tuesday) - Technical Orientation

Day 3 (Wednesday) - Deep Dives

Day 4 (Thursday) - Stakeholders

Day 5 (Friday) - First Contribution

Week 1 Success Checklist

• All accounts and access working
• Can build and run locally
• Completed security training
• Met all immediate team members
• First PR merged
• Understands team processes
• Calendar has Week 2 blocked

Skill Boundaries

What This Skill Does Well

• Structuring onboarding phases

• Creating comprehensive checklists

• Organizing resources

• Setting success criteria

What This Skill Cannot Do

• Know company-specific systems

• Access internal resources

• Assess individual readiness

• Replace manager judgment

Iteration Guide

Follow-up Prompts:

• "Create the 30-day presentation template"

• "What questions should managers ask at check-ins?"

• "Design an onboarding feedback survey"

• "How should we handle remote onboarding?"

References

• BambooHR Onboarding Statistics

• Gallup Q12 Engagement Framework

• SHRM Onboarding Best Practices

• Google's Noogler Experience

Related Skills

• resume-screener

• Pre-hire assessment

• interview-scheduler

• Hiring process

• employee-support

• Ongoing support

Skill Metadata

• Domain: HR Operations

• Complexity: Intermediate

• Mode: cyborg

• Time to Value: 2-4 hours per role

• Prerequisites: Role requirements, company context