Most companies like to hire candidates from inside their industry, often from a competitor or adjacent organization.

This rather conservative hiring tendency results in a limited pool of candidates to select from. Supply chain departments and companies can and should hire from outside the industry. However, if someone from outside the industry is hired, it’s important to properly onboard that new hire to increase the odds they will succeed in their new field.

Create a parallel program

Hiring personnel making an effort to hire folks from outside the supply chain industry should first develop a parallel onboarding process for their hires. Since it will be difficult for these new hires to connect with their new job on a technical level, it’s important the onboarding process tries to connect on an emotional level. The process should incorporate engaging industry literature, as well as information on the company’s competitive advantage and mission.

Prepare your business and employees

Your parallel onboarding should start before the new hire’s first day. Current employees should understand the importance of recruiting outside the supply chain industry and their role in making this organizational decision work for everybody. Those in management should prepare any additional policies that might be needed to address these hires.

Connect to culture and brand

Beginning a new job is daunting enough. Starting at a new company in an unfamiliar field can be downright terrifying. To avoid making new hires feel like fish out of water, present an approachable and social company culture and reinforce your company brand.

Ways to achieve this include informal social meetings, video introductions that show people working in their departments and taking new hires out for lunch. These and similar measures are meant to make new hires feel comfortable enough to ask questions and collaborate effectively.

Flexibility is essential

The onboarding program will have resources and processes in place that can quickly be adapted to suit a parallel onboarding program. For instance, onboarding software should allow trainers to opt into the supplemental materials designed for out-of-industry hires.

Flexibility also means the onboarding program can be adapted as the supply chain industry evolved and useful business trends emerge.

Learn something new

When someone comes into your company from another industry, they’ve probably had a completely different set of experiences, and that different background can be an asset if you’re willing to learn something from it.

Include a sit-down, poll or survey that asks new hires about highly effective processes they’ve seen in the past that might apply to your company. Doing this not only allows you to gain information, it also helps the new hire feel valuable while bridging the gap between old and new jobs for them.

If your company is looking to partner with a supply chain recruiter that provides awesome candidates for your organization, please contact ZDA today.

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