Hired Today, Gone Tomorrow? Not If You Onboard Right

After more than 20 years of recruiting, I’ve witnessed consistent onboarding and recruiting patterns worth sharing with both candidates and hiring managers alike. Those first 60-90 days? They’re everything. It’s the period when most recruiting firms (including mine) offer replacement guarantees, but more importantly, it’s when new professional relationships either flourish or falter.

What I’ve Observed from Both Sides

While replacement guarantees provide security for companies making hiring investments, they’re just business insurance policies, not solutions for creating successful employee transitions.

The reality is that once introductions are made and offers accepted, the success of a placement becomes a shared responsibility. The candidate must bring their skills and adaptability, while the company needs to provide structure and support.

When Onboarding Goes Sideways

I’ve received calls over the years from a candidate who’s ready to walk away, only to hear: “The onboarding was a complete disaster.” They describe scenarios where:

☢️ Nobody knew they were starting that day (more than once)

🚫 Their laptops/equipment weren’t ready (shockingly common)

⚠️ Their manager was on vacation (multiple times)

⛔ They were given no clear direction or expectations (poor internal coordination)

☣️ There was no training program (No one should be expected to ‘wing it’)

Sometimes things happen and real-life steps in. But no replacement guarantee can fix that kind of experience. Even the most talented professional will question their decision when faced with chaos from day one.

Shared Success Starts with Shared Ownership

Here’s the thing: a recruiter can find the right person. But turning that person into a successful, thriving team member? That’s where the handoff happens.

The most successful placements I’ve seen weren’t just about great résumés or strong interviews, they were about great starts. It’s a two-way street, so here are my three takeaways for a great onboarding experience:

👌Candidates who showed initiative, curiosity, and patience.

👍Companies who offered structure, support, and a warm welcome.

👉A mutual commitment to making the first few months count.

That’s where long-term matches are built.

Let’s Not Lose Great People to Preventable Problems

I love what I do because I believe in building teams that last, not just filling seats. When everyone takes ownership of the onboarding experience, we don’t just avoid early turnover, we set the stage for long-term success.

So let’s do this right.

Try to make onboarding a launchpad, not a stumbling block.

Let’s treat those first 90 days as the foundation-not the formality.

Because when we get that part right? We rarely need to talk about replacements at all.