Rethinking Employee Onboarding: A Talent-First Approach w/ Megan Weizel

Join Erin Rice from Process Street and Megan Weizel, managing partner at Salmela, as they explore how to revolutionize employee onboarding through strategic recruitment, and exceptional candidate experiences.

In this episode, Megan shares her unique perspective on why onboarding begins before the offer is made, the critical role of talent branding, and how to create a white-glove candidate journey that drives retention and business success.

Learn how to align stakeholders early, avoid common onboarding pitfalls, and design an experience that fosters loyalty, motivates employees, and bridges the gap between recruitment and long-term engagement.

Transcript

Erin Rice:

Welcome to the Employee Onboarding Podcast, where we unpack great onboarding ideas and best practices from the world's top HR practitioners and thought leaders. At Process Street, that starts with our mission to make work fun, fast, and faultless for teams everywhere. My name is Erin Rice, and I'm the people and operations specialist here at Process Street. Today, I'm joined by Megan Weizel. Megan is known in professional and personal circles alike as a natural connector and advocate. She's the managing partner and was the first employee at a boutique talent advisory firm called Salmela. Megan currently lives in Minnesota on Lake Superior. However, the majority of her work is in New York City and the Tri-State area. Megan loves her work as a talent advisor. She consults innovative growing organizations on their talent strategy and brings them the highest caliber leaders in any given industry to help them drive business. Megan was recently named Sanford Rose Associates 2023 Distinguished Achiever as the seventh most productive recruiter in the network.

As a firm, Salmela was named one of Hunt Scallon's top 250 recruiting firms in 2024. is in the business of people, her high level of engagement, bird's eye view of the market insights and genuine character. Wow, Megan, thank you so much for joining us today. 

Megan Weizel:

Thank you so much, Erin. I am so excited to be on here with you. Thank you for having me as a guest. 

Erin:

Absolutely. So before we dive in, I'd like to ask an icebreaker question.

Okay, I picked what age do you wish you could be permanently? 

Megan:

My goodness! Okay, I'm gonna say I'm gonna go for like 23. I kind of agree with that like for a long like permanently but then you know, I love being in my 40s too. So but here's why I would pick 23 and it's just because I think back to when I was that age. I after I graduated from from college, I my parents handed me a ticket anywhere in the world. And I chose New Zealand and I moved there for about a year. Actually, I only moved there with like a visitor visa and just kept renewing my visa and stayed for a year and I hitchhiked and then I bought a little car and then I picked up hitchhikers. This is telling you a lot about me, but it was fantastic and I just remember thinking I can do anything and the world's my oyster and I loved meeting new people and meet especially people from all over the world with differing views. And yeah, and I definitely think those kind of experiences have brought me to where I am now. 

Erin:

Yeah, I was going to say that. No wonder you ended up in recruitment. 

Megan:

Yeah, I know. It is. It's true. 

Erin:

So what we really came here for to talk about employee onboarding, and I'm so excited to have you because I really feel like you can give us such a different perspective than what we have had on the podcast before. So I'd love if you could tell us a little bit about what it's like to be a managing partner of a recruitment firm and sort of how that gives you a different viewpoint on onboarding. 

Megan:

Yeah, absolutely. And I have so much excitement and energy around this topic because you know, Erin, as a talent person, I when it's done right, it has such an amazing ripple effect, right? This process, and this is the part I love so much,

And I know that any HR and talent leaders that would be listening to this podcast will feel the same. Or it might be an aha moment for them. I don't know. But this process has a direct correlation to the bottom line of business. And I think that's what makes it such an honor to work on it and to be part of it. And it's more important than ever to get it right. So I have this very fortunate bird's eye view of any industry I touch. I've been working as a a talent gal, that's what I like to call myself, for 10 years, working with really top notch growing, innovative organizations that are at the cutting edge of business. I see it all, Erin, just like you do. But I see it, you know, outside of one business. And the interesting thing is, I like to say I see the underbelly of a company. And that's a good thing. I like seeing kind of the inner workings of a business. And the way, the importance that a company puts on talent,

The way they treat their employees is often indicative of how they conduct business. That's for sure the observation I've had over the years. So as a trusted advisor to my clients, what I try to do is just really guide them, advise them through the process, help them avoid pitfalls that I see in other companies, help recalibrate. And you know what, what's really interesting is if we had talked five years ago, I think this conversation would be very different. I think since 2020 and the way remote work has shifted and how so many people are remote, that has really affected this whole process too. I mean, I used to have people going in person to interview and to work. And now I have a lot more people depending on the industry, very remote. And so that that whole process of attracting good humans and then bringing them through the entire process, hopefully to accept an offer and then be their employee and treat them really well, that all looks so differently. And so that adds another layer, I think, to how well you need to do this and how you have to get it right. 

Erin:

Yeah, so when would you say, quote unquote, employee onboarding begins?

Megan:

That's an awesome question. And I think I will be my answer will be different than a lot of people's. You know, it's such a holistic process in my mind. And onboarding is usually thought of as that moment that usually that like super exciting moment when a candidate accepts an opportunity, everyone wants to celebrate or doing all the paperwork. You know, there's just all this excitement. I would reframe that.

I think onboarding starts the moment the role is internally approved within a company to start looking for a person. And I know that sounds kind of boring, but it's actually true because it's that moment when they need to ensure the buy-in, they need to ensure engagement, the stakeholders need to allot time on schedules for interviews, they might need to get a job description ready.

They need to put a ton of attention to this investment. So they're getting the financial leadership involved. And then the hiring manager, the internal talent team, the leadership team, they all need to be aligned on the purpose of this role. So I mean, I feel like that's when it all starts. 

And then they're thinking about how in the heck are we going to unearth this person? Who's going to lead this search? And that's where I come in, right? So that's where these clients of mine, ping me and they say, hey, Megan, we have this really cool, challenging search and we'd love for you to be involved. And so my goal is always to link arms with the team that's involved. I love, love, love being part of and working directly with hiring managers and leaders that are involved and also with the talent team to find the best solution. 

So, you know, my goal and what I have, what my goal and what I'm doing every day is being the top advocate of my client and their brand and their story and basically reeling in the best and top performers that can do this job. Absolutely. What an honor to be able to come It really is. It really is. it's the main focus, I think, of onboarding. And we can call it onboarding. We can call it recruiting. I think it's all kind of one in the same in reality is that you have to offer more or less a white glove candidate experience that in the end leads to acceptance, long-term retention, and ROI. 

Erin:

Yeah, I totally agree. And I think that's part of what I like about the recruitment process so much is it's the job description. What is the vibe and the company brand that you're sending across? What does your social media look like? What is you know, your glass door, what are your employees saying about life there? All of that. And I get to share that in the first interviews, which is really exciting. And it, you know, it reminds me all the reasons why I like my job and my role. 

Megan:

Yeah, and you must be so good at it. I would, if I worked with you, Erin, I mean, I'd be applauding you all day long. 

Erin:

So talking about company brands how does that relate or differentiate from a talent brand because we have sort of talked about both of those two brands being sort of different? 

Megan:

Yeah, I mean, they're definitely different, right? Like a lot of people will call the company brand also known as the employer brand. And then that talent brand is definitely more of the employee brand and the experience and that social version of the overall brand, if that makes sense. So, you know, people are attracted to brands and often imagine themselves there.

I remember years ago being like, just, I mean, I love everything about Target. I just, I even like the fact that their aisles are wide enough for the cart to get through so easily. I mean, it's just like the silliest little things that you just notice. I love their, you know, just so many things that they've thought through. And I remember thinking to myself, this is so many years ago, but I just remember thinking, I want to be part of that. And probably at the more corporate level, but.

You know, people do this a lot. They pick brands that they're really intrigued by as a person, and then they try to imagine themselves there. And so that's all the, you know, the true brand of the company. But then that talent brand is if they are actually, if you take that brand admirer and convert them to an employee, now they are part of that talent brand. And so you need to make sure that that process is so great and they're their experience as an employee is so awesome that it keeps that talent brand at tip top. But I look at the recruitment and the onboarding process is more or less like a bridge between those two types of brands. Does that make sense to you? 

Erin

Yeah, definitely. In HR, obviously, we talk about pre-onboarding and it's sort of that bubble of time between signing the offer and really getting them started and onboarded them into the company. But from my perspective, it's even before that because we have to make sure we have the right person. We have to make sure that we've really vetted every person and we have selected the very, very best for this job because it takes time and energy and it costs money to do these searches and things so we want to make sure that we're getting the most bang for our buck and making it all transition. So I love that. I love that analogy of the bridge.

Well, I'm sure working with these companies, you probably have a long list of horror stories. You don't necessarily need to share them, but I'd love to hear if you have any tips for companies on how to avoid them. We've all been there. We've all had a terrible recruitment experience. We've all had a bad onboarding at some point. So I'd love to hear any tips that you have for people to avoid those things. 

Megan:

Yeah, I definitely could tell you lots of stories. Maybe that's another podcast or another day with you and I. But right, mean,I always think, you know, if I just take a step away from all of this, I have a background in customer service and hospitality and all the things. And since I was little, I mean, was doing, you know, I was working in service for so long. And it came really clear to me that the main thing you're trying to do is create an experience for people that they want to go and tell the next person about in a positive light. And if you just take that across any kind of business, it's going to have a positive effect on the bottom line. So I think about that every day. And then I'll tell you a little thing that I share with my team. I run a team and they're such amazing women. And I tell them all the time that we should always treat our people. And that can be candidates, clients, other colleagues. mean, anyone in our sphere, always treat them like you would your favorite aunt.

And I really believe that. So in this situation, if you ever have a bad situation for a candidate going through your process, put yourself in their shoes. Care about the details, over communicate to ensure that they know everything they need to know. Treat them like you would your favorite aunt in this situation. And then regardless of the level, implement like the white glove approach and stick to it. I mean, I just would say it's always good to remember that the interviewing process, recruitment process, the onboarding process is all a two way street. It's they as the candidate are compiling information and experience nuggets to help inform their decision just the way a company is. 

So here's a little horror story. And this one's like kind of light and airy, but it was not cool. I had a great client. I think they did the whole process really great. But my candidate, we're gonna call her Shelly because her name was similar to that. She called me the night before she was supposed to start. And this is all pre 2020. So she was going into the office, needed to be there five days a week. And she called me, she texted me the night before her first day and said, I don't have a laptop. And she actually needed to be in some like pretty top senior meeting that next morning. So she was gonna like come in hot. And she didn't have a laptop. And I just remember thinking, what the heck? Like, what are we going to do here? So I mean, thankfully, I had a cell number for one of the top leaders, because that's the person I was working with through this process. And I had to send out a message saying, so sorry for the late text, but Shelly So-and-so does not have her laptop. And she's supposed to be in that executive meeting tomorrow morning. And I mean, they felt so bad. you know, they didn't want to connect with her that night, but the next morning she came in and they were like right there at the door, laid out the red carpet, so sorry, this shouldn't have happened, brought her coffee, had her laptop, told her to skip the meeting. I mean, it just, I would just say, you like, you got to make it right. And you got to pull out all the stops in those situations. Yeah. And I bet like that could have been a situation where Shelly decided this wasn't the right fit because they messed up. And like, is this how everything's gonna be? But they went so far out of their way to sort of right that ship. They were even able to probably make an even more positive impression being like, when we make a mistake, we take responsibility for it. And we do 10 times what is needed to do to make sure that you understand that we apologize. Yeah, and just, you know,

The fact that that company has an opportunity to make it right and turn it into something that Shelley could talk about in a positive light. That's where I think, I mean, we've all been in situations where the experience is subpar, whether it's at a hotel or, and I know anyone listening will be starting to think about all those moments in their lives. You're in a hotel, you are in a retail store and no one says hello, and you're looking for a certain size of shoe and no one has helped you. You are in a restaurant and you're the, literally you feel like the last person to be acknowledged. You know, all those things, but all of those companies, all those organizations have an opportunity to turn that into something really positive, but it's all in how they're going to do that. And sometimes, it takes some magic. And what's really interesting, Erin, is as someone who, like for myself as a talent advisor, I often have to bring in my magic in order to set that all straight. So that's the interesting thing. I mean, I have to sometimes help my clients do it. And then I, from the other side, you know, in terms of Shelley, I mean, I had to just say, I'm so sorry. you know, sometimes these things do happen. It wasn't reflective of you.

I want you to know this isn't reflective of the way they do things and do business and you're not going to see this on a regular basis. So that's another massive part of my role as an advisor and an advocate is to set things right and to kind of just to soften the blow in some ways. Yeah. And you're almost kind of your own brand on the line when you align that way. Because you're sort of vouching for the situation, whether it be congruent or not congruent with that experience or what they thought was going to happen. Yeah, absolutely. Which definitely adds a layer of pressure. But also, I think it's a good thing. I think it's a great thing. I mean, you can put anything in whatever light you want to put it in. I look at it as a really cool opportunity every day to advocate on behalf of clients and candidates to to make things right, to just offer the best service ever. I that's what I want my team and our company to be known for is just absolutely a premium service and that they're not missing anything, that there's nothing missing in the experience for this candidate or for anyone going through the process. And that even if they don't end up being the right person or they aren't the best fit, that they still had a positive experience and walk away thinking, wow, that felt really good. Yep. You know, and I have clients who, I mean, oftentimes when they're using our service, our professional service to help them find people and build teams and advise on talent, they're often not posting the job and having applicants come in. Sometimes, I mean, it just kind of depends on the role.

But if they're using us, oftentimes they don't need to be posting because then it's a very curated pool. So, but I've had clients that, you know, use, that post a job and have applicants coming through. And what's interesting is I've always told them, make sure that every single person who applies gets some sort of response. And I want that response to always have a thank you in it. Because you're, you're literally making, you could keep, you could turn these people into brand admirers over time. I love that. And maybe even employees over time. So maybe not today, but maybe in the future. I think there's that whole notion. It's just like if, Erin, you're going to a restaurant and you're on the wait list and you can't wait because you're with your kids and you didn't make it into that restaurant that you really wanted to go to, hopefully they will say, we're so sorry that we couldn't get you into this evening.

But we'd love to have you come back and see us and if they do it right you will be back It's the same exact idea. I mean honestly all everything we're talking about just always comes back to the absolute basics of treating people with absolute respect and giving them an experience. They won't 100% that's every interaction in life. Not just on board right recruitment. 

Erin

Yeah, absolutely.

Well, Megan, this has been so great and such lovely nuggets. Before we go, I have one final question, and you kind of touched on this a little bit, but what can companies do to really wow this experience for their potential new hires? 

Megan:

I love that question. I mean, there are so many things. I feel like we could have a podcast simply around that question. And I'm going to go a little kind of deep on this one. So I advocate on behalf of massive organizations, smaller organizations, and my main goal is to bring in top performers that will drive business. I then advocate on behalf of candidates to intro them to opportunities that catapult their careers. So I'm having those two types of conversations every day, right? And once these kinds of things happen, like candidate goes into company,

I think the thing I find, so this person's now been hired, they're in, and it doesn't matter which level they're at. But I feel like if I led a massive company, or regardless a smaller company, I just always want to see more incentive to excel offered to employees. And what I mean by that is, you know, I talk to people every day that wish there was more of a reward for those of us that

do more than expected. So I'd always advise companies, once you hire someone, to focus on, of course, hiring top quality talent. But then build an incentive program for all levels that encourages excellence and that gives people a reason to stay. And as a result, it positively impacts their business. And it's a win-win all around.

And I know that we could turn that all into another podcast, but I feel so strongly about it because I feel like there's only certain jobs that have real incentives attached to it. I just, the more I talk to top leaders, I realize how important it is to have more of that at all levels and all types of jobs if possible, because it's only going to benefit the company and the people. And then they just feel like they have more purpose.

Erin:

That's so interesting. And it's ironic. We talked about this that we've been reading Atomic Habits and he (James Clear) talks a lot about rewards and attaching rewards even to like undesirable tasks like if I walk, you know, five miles today, then I'll allow myself to scroll on TikTok for 15 minutes or whatever. But sort of compounding them too. But yeah, it's exactly the same thing of that human development of really keeping people motivated.

Megan:

Absolutely. I did and this might be interesting to you. And I did like a little poll once and of my like recent placements. And this was like maybe a year ago. And I just said to all of them, they're amazing people, just like top executives typically for me. And I just said, you know, like, what, what keeps you like, what keeps you in the company you're in, or in any company? Like, what keeps you there? And what, what would you want more of? And the answers to that, again, we could we could keep going. But a lot of them just, want incentive to do great things so that it's not just a meet expectation type of job. And they want a clear career progression. They want to know what that looks like, the criteria and the timing. You know, and it's so funny how simple some of the things are. Like, please just make a clear effort to invest in me as an individual. I just think of like that it's so interesting how simple some of the asks are and the fact that they're asking for it tells you it's not being done.

Erin:

I'm writing that down. 

Megan:

But I mean, I have a whole list. That poll was one of the most eye opening things I've done. Yeah, that's amazing. And I can continue to do that because I work with such incredibly smart people and they know. I I'm working with a person that I placed, I placed him quite a while ago and he just never really the expectations of his job at a very executive level were never really communicated. And so it just it's just never been very clear what his path forward should look like. And what a miss. You know, and I think that just all goes back to the experience from the beginning and how it should, if it's done right, it can lead to incredible growth for a company. If it's done poorly, I mean, the stats on things like that are just, it blows your mind. I mean, I've read once that like a disengaged employee costs a business the equivalent of 18% of their salary.

And if you put that, if you just start, you know, we all heard the quiet quitting term, you know, I think that was more last year. But I think about that just from like the bottom line of a business. And we're all trying to, especially right now with, you know, an economic downturn, don't, companies cannot afford to not compete for top talent right now. I know that was a lot of, you know, double negatives.

But I mean, they have to be competing for top talent right now and in this kind of market and be so mindful of where the market is at and what they need to do to bring in not even, I mean, yes, doers, but doers that have a growth mindset. It's just a unique time and you've got to get it right. Yep. And if you don't, you know, back to what we were talking about in the beginning, not only are you, you know, tarnishing your talent brand, but you're tarnishing that bridge that connects you to your company brand, and you're not going to be able to push the objectives and all the goals of that company along, as you said, before it all starts with that recruitment piece. As soon as that internal job is approved. 

Erin:

Such a good point. Well, Megan, this has been so lovely. Again, thank you so much for taking the time. I do feel like we could talk all day. And yea, I wish you all the best. 

Megan:

It's been such a pleasure, Erin. Thank you so much. And thanks for doing this work. You know, it's people like you who make my job not feel like a job. I mean, you know, so just keep keep doing great work and ask me any questions that you ever want to know. And and we will collaborate anytime. So thank you so much for having me.