The Tale of Two Onboarding's
The Story of Starting My First and Second Jobs
Starting a new job is scary, in the same way, a theme park ride is scary. You’re not actually feeling like you’re in danger, just a feeling of positive apprehension. Your first day at a new job is usually pretty easy: meet your coworkers that you didn’t shake hands with during the interview process and maybe set up your new email. There’s a lot of different ways a first day can go. I have had two jobs since my graduation from college in 2022. At my first job, I was there for 2 weeks. I have been at my second job for two years.
Both companies I have worked for are in the construction industry. The first (we will call Owen’s Custom Homes) built high-end luxury homes all around the state; there were about 30 employees, and I was hired by Owen (The Owner) as a replacement for Pete, one of the older Project Managers.
The second company, (We can call this XYZApartment Builders) builds apartments all around the city as well. It’s a startup, and when I joined, there were about 12 people; now there are around 50. I was hired as a project engineer.
Owen’s Custom Homes: The Facts
I stayed here two weeks. I got my foot in the door through a chain of friends and was extremely excited in the interview process. I enjoyed the people I met, and it seemed like a well-organized company; there weren’t too many red flags in the interview process. The only one I found is that the person I was to be training under and subsequently replacing was an older guy that had a little bit of a temper. I chalked it up to a deep care for his work.
I got an offer letter for a little lower than I was expecting (all I was expecting was to make ends meet;) so I had to negotiate up and make sure that my wife and I would be able to live comfortably. After I signed an offer agreement that met my standards, I was ecstatic. It was my dream all through college to work for a custom home builder as I really enjoy interior design and the intricate details that go into a house of that caliber. For a few months, it was all quiet, which was completely normal as I had to finish my degree. But upon completion, the first thing on my mind was that start date. The first day of my first job.
At the time, I only had the contact of Owen, also my interviewer. A week from the start date, I sent him a text to the effect of:
“Hey, I’m so excited to start next week! Anything I should know to get prepared?”
No response.
Three days later, same message.
No response.
One day before the start date, I called him.
It was a short conversation. Basically, he just gave me an address, Pete’s contact information, and told me to get there at 8:00 am.
Always the optimist, I set out my first day clothes and got a good night’s sleep, ready to start my promising career.
I arrived at the given address at 8:00. I waited… the clock showed 8:30. I texted my new boss, thinking surely the address I was supposed to be at was lost in translation. No reply. At 9:00, I called Pete, wanting to see any signs of life. Voicemail.
At this point, I’m freaking out. I decide to call the owner, Owen, maybe Pete got in a car crash or became sick.
Finally, a voice on the other end of the line. I explained my situation, and he said he would call Pete and see what was up.
Not ten minutes later, I get a call to go to a house down the street and ask for John, Pete’s right-hand man.
Not thirty minutes later, I was hoisting tiles and moving concrete bags around a house in my nice khakis and dress shirt. I worked until lunch and went quickly home, grabbed a snack, threw on old shorts and a t-shirt, and went right back out.
That’s how my first day ended. I came home to my wife incredibly stressed. After having worked on an active construction site without signing anything or meeting anyone in charge, almost completely alone.
I went early the next day to the main office and made sure to sign all my onboarding papers. I could tell that this severely inconvenienced Owen. And on my way back out into the field, I got a call from Pete, who I still hadn’t seen since my interview process. The conversation went something like this:
“Hey, where should I meet you today”
“What the hell did you do?”
“I’m sorry, I don’t know what you’re talking about”
“You called Owen and said you didn’t know where to go”
“I didn’t know where to go, I was just trying to get some information.”
“If you ever pull anything like that again, you won’t work here anymore. Owen might put you somewhere else, but I promise it won’t be with me!”
That’s right, folks, I got threatened to be fired on my second day of work for trying to work on my first day of work.
After that, it only went further downhill. I was never treated with any sense of respect or care by my boss. It got to the point that he would actively ignore my presence when working in the same house, telling John to tell me to do something instead of telling me himself. Childish.
So after two weeks of the most stress I have ever endured, I found myself in the owner’s corner office; quitting on behalf of the “culture in the field.” and so began my second job search.
XYZ Apartment Builders: The Facts
I met with as many people as I could in the construction industry, searching for any job that would meet Damaria and my needs. While meeting a connection in a coffee shop, my coffee date recognized an old friend from across the way. That old friend gave me his card, and after a couple of interviews, gave me a great offer. It was for more money than I even thought of asking for, and it seemed like his first priority was company culture and employee happiness. I said yes.
Two weeks before my job began, he reached out to me, asking me out to lunch and a tour of the office. When we sat down to eat, the first thing that was said was:
“Jack, I want to squash all of your nervousness and make sure you feel good before your start date.”
The rest of the lunch and tour went well; they showed me an empty office set aside for me, made sure I knew the plan for my first day, and sent me on my way smiling, giddy about my new career.
I knew the plan going into my first day. I was greeted in the conference room by a tall pile of Apartment Builders XYZ branded apparel and accessories. The HR lady walked me through all the forms to fill out and set up insurance. Then the CFO walked me through the rest of the information I needed and helped me set up my new office. For lunch, my new coworkers took me out, and after that, I chatted up as I made the finishing touches to my new digs. After getting the lay of the land, I went home and was able to relax. It was a nice easy day of preparation and learning. It felt like the first day of school in the fourth grade; you have to be there and be prepared, but it’s all fun and exciting; the stakes are low, and there is little to no work.
It’s harder to write about the good experience as it was far less traumatic.
First Impressions Matter
First impressions are near impossible to change; that goes for people, locations, companies, and cultures. Remember when you went to tour colleges? The ones you saw on a rainy day seemed worse than the ones toured when the sky was bright and blue. Presentation can alter the course of our lives in dramatic ways.
Being sold is important; it makes us feel important. The theatrics of an onboarding may seem silly to justify on a bottom line, but it builds fast loyalty and dedication. A positive and calm onboarding experience is the catalyst for a unified team.
Don’t believe me? Go watch Ted Lasso; his whole strategy is to work on perception and understanding his players/employees as people first and athletes/workers second. Making the players feel heard and respected as humans makes them work harder as players.
All in all, you get what you give, and a lot of what the employer can give to the employee is found somewhere in the first impression of the onboarding process.
What I Learned
I can’t blame my terrible time at Custom Homes ABC all on the company. I believe I may have rushed them in their search for finding my boss’s replacement. Maybe if I was hired a year later, things would be totally different; who knows.
I learned that you have to take offers and benefits at face value. If it’s not in ink, then it doesn’t really exist. Don’t infer or deduct your way into liking a company or job offer; it will leave you expecting way more than your employer is willing to give you.
I learned that your gut is always the best compass you own, even in the world of business.
