When you work long hours recruiting the best talent around, you want to make sure your new employees get the best onboarding experience possible. Because of the nature of my role at Coveo, I’ve been deeply involved in the orientation of new employees, working on initiatives to make sure the great talent we welcome to our team is given all the tools and training needed to perform to their full potential. I am so fortunate that the company has made this a corporate priority and provided us with all the ingredients we need to create the perfect onboarding recipe.

We’ve been perfecting this recipe over the years, but one key ingredient remains as the cornerstone, the ‘masterpiece’ of our initiative: a 3-day training session in Corporate HQ. Experience has shown it to be an incredible way to introduce our recruits to many crucial topics and have a strong impact on employee performance and engagement. I’ve been collecting the feedback from new employees and their managers over time and am confident this is our best recipe for onboarding yet.

Here is the list of key ingredients for a great corporate onboarding session:

One full cup of collective effort
Everybody believes in the program and is happy to pitch in (execs, managers, peers and thought leaders). We get several members from our executive team involved throughout the session: Our CEO will usually lead the way and talk about the vision and strategy followed by other C-Level and VPs on operations, sales and marketing, finances and other crucial topics. Having them involved shows how much Coveo’s leadership is accessible and that we deeply care about our employees’ success.

A heaping tablespoon of inclusion
Senior VP? Accountant? Developer? Executive assistant? Welcome aboard! Please have a seat… There is no discrimination. We build our sessions for everyone, so no matter what you’ll do or how acquainted you are with the company, you get to learn from a well-rounded team so you can be better at your job and get to love the #CoveoLife. Sharing the experience between all the levels of the company makes it a better experience for everyone.

A scoop of technology
Regardless of your role, the more you know about our technology, the more efficient you will be in your daily work. We make sure the corporate onboarding session also sets a standard in the knowledge of our technology. Product managers and training specialists are carefully lined-up to give everyone a deep dive in it. They show the product in action, make sure the audience understands the ecosystems our products are built for, our key differentiators, commercial insights and roadmap, major customers and more!

A pinch of workshops
On the last day of the session, we divide the group into small teams and put them to work. Teams are given access to documentation about a deal the company has won and have to prepare for a sales simulation where they “pitch” to a buyer’s side made of different representatives of the company. In case you are wondering: we don’t go easy on them and even though they usually dread this moment, it is all in good fun and always turns into a memorable experience for them.

And plenty of fun
You’re a fun company to work for and you have a bunch of recruits in town to be onboarded. What do you do? Easy… Invite all employees to a happy hour! Order good food, fill the keg up with some nice craft beer and make sure everybody gets to meet their new colleagues in a nice ambience. There is no better way to feel part of the team

Curious about what this corporate onboarding session looks like? Take a look at our onboarding video. But I assure you, it’s way better in person. I suggest you take a look at our open positions and join the team and see for yourself! It’s a fact; people smile more when they’re living the #CoveoLife.