The onboarding guide to give every candidate you place

20% of placed candidates don't make it past the first 90 days. This guide reduces that risk and protects your guarantee fee.

Your job doesn't end when the candidate signs the offer

It ends when they pass probation. And probation fails more often than it should — not because of the candidate or the company, but because of the lack of structure in the first 90 days.

Why onboarding fails

80% of failures in the first 90 days have one of these 3 causes:

• Expectation misalignment: What the candidate expected vs what they found
• Unclear priorities: The candidate doesn't know what's expected in the first 30, 60 and 90 days
• Failed team integration: Didn't build the internal relationships needed to operate effectively

All three are preventable with proper preparation before day one.

What to do before Day 1

With the candidate (week before starting): Call the candidate — don't send an email. Ask: "How are you feeling? Do you have any doubts about the role or the company that weren't clarified in the process?" That 15-minute conversation can reveal a concern that, if unaddressed, becomes a resignation in month 2.

With the Hiring Manager (day before): "What do you expect from [candidate] in the first 30 days? What are their 2-3 immediate priorities?" Share that answer with the candidate before they start.

The 30-day check-in

Call both separately. With the candidate: "How's it going? Is there anything you didn't expect? What do you need to succeed here?" With the HM: "How is [candidate] doing? Is it meeting your expectations?"

If there's a discrepancy between the two answers, you have a problem to solve now — not at 60 or 90 days.

The replacement guarantee as a sales tool

Most agencies see the replacement guarantee as a cost. The best agencies see it as a sales tool. "If the candidate doesn't work out in 90 days, we replace at no additional cost." That promise reduces client risk and differentiates your agency. Protect it with check-ins — a guarantee you exercise rarely is a guarantee that generates trust.