Create a new employee onboarding checklist
Use case
Use this prompt to create an onboarding checklist for a new hire — either a general template or one customized for a specific role. Companies that onboard well retain employees longer and see faster time-to-productivity. A structured checklist ensures no step is missed and gives the new employee a clear sense of what to expect.
The prompt
You are a People Ops lead creating an onboarding checklist for a new employee. Context: - Company:{{company_name}}- New employee name and role:{{employee_name_and_role}}- Start date:{{start_date}}- Department:{{department}}- Manager:{{manager_name}}- Work location:{{work_location}}(remote, hybrid, or in-office) - Key tools and systems the employee needs access to:{{tools_and_systems}}- Key people they should meet in the first 30 days:{{key_relationships}}- Role-specific early priorities:{{role_priorities}}(what this person should be doing, learning, or delivering in their first 30/60/90 days) - Company culture context:{{culture_context}}(anything important about how the company operates that the new employee should understand early) Create a checklist organized into: ## Before Day 1 (Pre-boarding) What People Ops and the manager do before the new employee's first day — equipment, access, communication, workspace prep. ## Day 1 Exactly what happens on the first day — meeting by meeting, task by task. Not "orientation" but specific activities. ## Week 1 (Days 2–5) The first full week — focus on tools, team, and context without overwhelming. ## Month 1 (Days 6–30) Building understanding of the role, product, customers, and team. Key meetings to have and documents to read. ## Month 2 (Days 31–60) Increasing independence. Beginning to contribute to real work. Key milestones for this period. ## Month 3 (Days 61–90) Operating with autonomy. Delivering early wins. Completing the onboarding arc. For each item in the checklist, include: - The task or activity - The owner (People Ops, manager, or new employee) - A brief "why it matters" note (optional but valuable for manager checklists) Also include: ## 30/60/90-Day Check-In Template A brief structured template for the manager to use at each milestone check-in — what to discuss, what to assess, what to ask.
Variables
{{{{company_name}}}}Replace with your {{company name}}{{{{employee_name_and_role}}}}Replace with your {{employee name and role}}{{{{start_date}}}}Replace with your {{start date}}{{{{department}}}}Replace with your {{department}}{{{{manager_name}}}}Replace with your {{manager name}}{{{{work_location}}}}Replace with your {{work location}}{{{{tools_and_systems}}}}Replace with your {{tools and systems}}{{{{key_relationships}}}}Replace with your {{key relationships}}{{{{role_priorities}}}}Replace with your {{role priorities}}{{{{culture_context}}}}Replace with your {{culture context}}
Example
Input
company_name: Anchor Analytics employee_name_and_role: Jordan Rivera, Senior Account Executive start_date: May 20, 2024 department: Sales manager_name: James Wu, VP of Sales work_location: Remote (US) tools_and_systems: Salesforce, Outreach, LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Slack, Notion (company wiki), Google Workspace, Chorus, Zoom, Expensify key_relationships: James Wu (manager), Marcus Chen (CEO), Priya Patel (CTO — product context), Maya Chen (Controller — financial buyer context), existing AE team (3 peers), 2 CSMs (CS team handoff partners), Marketing Manager role_priorities: 30 days — product knowledge + ICP mastery + first prospecting sequences. 60 days — first closed deal. 90 days — sustainable pipeline and on-pace for quarterly quota culture_context: Direct communication culture; Slack is the primary async channel; weekly all-hands on Monday mornings; management trusts employees to manage their own time; direct feedback expected and welcomed; small team means everyone knows each other
Output
# New Employee Onboarding Checklist
**Jordan Rivera — Senior Account Executive**
**Anchor Analytics | Start Date: May 20, 2024**
---
## Before Day 1 (Pre-boarding)
**People Ops (Maya Chen):**
- [ ] Send welcome email with Day 1 schedule, Slack link, and what to expect (send May 17)
- [ ] Ship laptop via FedEx Priority — arrive by May 17 (confirm delivery address)
- [ ] Provision accounts: Google Workspace, Slack, Notion, Salesforce (read-only until Day 3), Expensify
- [ ] Set up Rippling for payroll/benefits; send benefits enrollment link (Jordan has 30 days to elect)
- [ ] Add Jordan to team Slack channels: #general, #sales, #all-hands, #wins
- [ ] Send $500 home office stipend process email (can submit receipts from Day 1)
- [ ] Schedule Day 1 welcome call with James at 9:00 AM
**Manager (James Wu):**
- [ ] Send a personal welcome message to Jordan's personal email on May 17 — brief, warm, practical ("here's what Monday looks like")
- [ ] Send the SDR/AE Onboarding Playbook link (Notion) with a note to read through it before Day 1 if they have time
- [ ] Confirm Jordan is added to the weekly team standup (Monday, 10 AM)
- [ ] Block James's calendar for daily 15-min check-ins for the first 2 weeks
- [ ] Tell the existing AE team who's starting and ask them to reach out on Day 1
---
## Day 1 (Monday, May 20)
| Time | Activity | Owner | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9:00 AM | Welcome call with James Wu | James | 60-min 1:1; tour of the role, team, and Week 1 plan |
| 10:00 AM | All-hands standup | Marcus (facilitates) | Jordan introduced to full team; James introduces |
| 10:30 AM | IT setup and account verification | Jordan | Confirm access to all provisioned tools; flag any gaps to Maya |
| 11:00 AM | Notion wiki orientation | Jordan | Read: Company Overview, Sales section index, AE Playbook intro |
| 12:00 PM | Lunch — async, no meetings | Jordan | Encourage to take a real break on Day 1 |
| 1:00 PM | Product demo walkthrough (recorded) | Jordan | Watch the 60-min recorded demo in Google Drive; take notes |
| 2:30 PM | Welcome 1:1 with Maya Chen (People Ops) | Maya | 30 min; benefits enrollment, policy overview, answer HR questions |
| 3:00 PM | Write Day 1 reflection | Jordan | 5 minutes: what was useful, what questions do you have? Share in Slack #sales |
---
## Week 1 (Days 2–5: May 21–24)
**Product and Company Knowledge:**
- [ ] Read: ICP Definition document (Notion > Sales > ICP) — Jordan — Day 2
- [ ] Read: Competitive battle cards for Amplitude, Mixpanel, Tableau — Jordan — Day 2–3
- [ ] Complete Salesforce 101 (Trailhead "Salesforce for Sales" — ~3 hours) — Jordan — Days 3–4
- [ ] Read: Signal product overview and launch data summary — Jordan — Day 3
- [ ] Watch: 3 Chorus call recordings (James will select; 1 great, 1 average, 1 enterprise close) — Jordan — Days 3–5
**Relationships:**
- [ ] 1:1 with Marcus Chen (CEO) — 30 min — schedule for Day 2 or 3 — James sets up
- [ ] 1:1 with each peer AE — 20 min each — Jordan schedules directly via Slack
- [ ] 1:1 with Priya Patel (CTO) — 30 min — "understand the product from the builder's perspective" — James sets up
- [ ] Meet the CS team on a group call — 30 min — James coordinates
**Tools and Process:**
- [ ] Set up Outreach sequences library; review top 3 performing sequences — Jordan — Day 2
- [ ] Set up LinkedIn Sales Navigator saved searches for ICP account targeting — Jordan — Day 3–4
- [ ] Complete Expensify setup; submit home office stipend receipt if purchased — Jordan — Day 5
**Daily:**
- [ ] Daily 15-min check-in with James (9:00 AM) — all of Week 1
---
## Month 1 (Days 6–30)
**Learning milestones:**
- [ ] Pass ICP Quiz (10-question assessment developed by James) — Jordan — Day 14
- [ ] Can explain Anchor's value proposition without looking at the deck — Jordan — Day 10 target
- [ ] Shadow 3 discovery calls (with James or senior AE) — Jordan — Days 6–14
- [ ] Run 2 mock cold calls with James (role-play) — Jordan — Week 3
- [ ] Read Fanatical Prospecting (chapters 1–5) — Jordan — by Day 21
**First outreach:**
- [ ] Build target account list (60 accounts) — Jordan — Day 10
- [ ] Draft first outbound email sequence (3 emails + LinkedIn touch) — Jordan — Day 12
- [ ] James reviews and approves first sequences before sending — James — Day 14
- [ ] Begin sending 20+ outbound sequences per week (with pre-approval for first batch) — Jordan — Week 3
**Milestone: 30-day check-in (see template below)**
---
## Month 2 (Days 31–60)
**Performance milestones:**
- [ ] First qualified discovery call booked and held — Jordan — target by Day 35
- [ ] Sending 40+ outreach sequences per week independently — Jordan — by Day 45
- [ ] Salesforce accuracy maintained at 95%+ — Jordan — ongoing
- [ ] First deal closed — Jordan — target by Day 60 (first close) or at minimum 3+ opportunities in late stage
**Relationships:**
- [ ] Meet Marketing Manager (Sarah Kim) — discuss Signal campaign and co-marketing opportunities — Jordan — Week 5
- [ ] Join one CS QBR as an observer — Jordan — if available in this period
**Milestone: 60-day check-in (see template below)**
---
## Month 3 (Days 61–90)
**Operating independently:**
- [ ] Managing full pipeline without pre-approval on outreach — Jordan — ongoing
- [ ] Booking 3+ qualified discovery calls per week — Jordan — target by Day 75
- [ ] Contributing to AE team playbook (one improvement based on what's working) — Jordan — by Day 90
**Performance:**
- [ ] On-pace to contribute $150K+ new ARR by end of Q3 (first full quarter) — James and Jordan review
- [ ] Received written performance feedback from James — James — Day 85
**Milestone: 90-day check-in (see template below)**
---
## 30/60/90-Day Check-In Templates
### 30-Day Check-In (Manager-led, ~45 min)
**Focus:** Is Jordan set up to succeed? What's missing?
Questions to ask:
- "What's clicked and what hasn't in the first month? Anything surprising about the role or the company?"
- "Where do you feel confident and where do you still need more context or support?"
- "What do you wish you'd known on Day 1 that you know now?"
Assess:
- ICP knowledge — can Jordan qualify a prospect without help?
- Product knowledge — can they explain Signal to a skeptical buyer?
- Pipeline activity — are they sending the right volume of outreach?
Feedback to give: Be specific about what's strong and where they should focus for Month 2.
---
### 60-Day Check-In (Manager-led, ~45 min)
**Focus:** Is Jordan contributing at the expected level? On track for quota?
Questions to ask:
- "Walk me through your current pipeline — what do you feel good about and what are you worried about?"
- "What's been the hardest part of the role so far? What do you need from me?"
- "How is the team dynamic feeling? Anyone you need more connection with?"
Assess:
- First deal closed or in late stage?
- Pipeline volume and quality
- Discovery call effectiveness (listen to a recording together)
Feedback to give: Be honest about where the ramp is ahead of pace vs. behind.
---
### 90-Day Check-In (Manager + People Ops, ~60 min)
**Focus:** Is Jordan operating at full AE capacity? Formal end of onboarding.
Questions to ask:
- "What would you change about your own first 90 days if you could do it over?"
- "Where do you see your biggest growth opportunity in the next 6 months?"
- "What do you need from me as your manager to do your best work?"
Assess:
- Quota trajectory (on pace?)
- Independent pipeline generation
- Team integration and culture fit
- One-year retention signal: are they energized or showing warning signs?
Outcome: Formal feedback letter in personnel file; confirm Year 1 goals together.
Tips for best results
- 1Pre-boarding (before Day 1) is the most important and most neglected phase of onboarding. A laptop that doesn't arrive until Day 3, or Slack access that's set up on Day 1, signals disorganization at a moment when the employee is forming their impression of the company.
- 2Day 1 should end with the employee feeling welcomed, not overwhelmed. Limit the content load on Day 1 — prioritize connections and context over information transfer.
- 3The 30-day check-in is when most onboarding problems can still be fixed. Managers who skip this check-in find out at 90 days that something went wrong at week 2 — when it's much harder to course-correct.
- 4Build the onboarding checklist before the employee's first day — not the night before. A well-designed onboarding starts before the offer letter is signed.
- 5Ask employees to rate their own onboarding at 30 and 90 days. A simple survey ('how prepared do you feel for the role on a 1–5 scale? What would have made the onboarding better?') improves each subsequent hire's experience.
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