by Robert
Did you know that Changi Airport in Singapore isn’t just an airport? Alongside its numerous gardens, it boasts a butterfly farm, a massive indoor waterfall, a mirror maze, a four-story slide, and countless other attractions. Kids can join worm composting workshops, and passengers with longer layovers can even borrow bicycles for free to explore the airport and its surroundings. And on top of all that, Changi offers unbeatable service, spotless cleanliness, and seamless processes—all designed with one goal in mind: to leave guests impressed and satisfied.
Why am I telling you all this? Well, it all follows a simple yet extremely effective idea: visitors should be impressed by Singapore from the very first minute, following the motto: First impressions count! Since the airport is pretty much the only gateway to Singapore, it is the perfect place to showcase the country. The mastermind behind this idea was Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s former “eternal” Prime Minister. He had the plan to make the city-state of Singapore attractive as a place to live and do business through an unparalleled onboarding experience. He pursued this plan relentlessly and personally monitored how well the immigration process, toilet cleanliness, and other aspects were maintained. He consulted with experts several times a year on how to further improve this onboarding experience. Additionally, the route from the airport to the city center was redesigned, and the infrastructure was improved so that no one would ever again think of Singapore as a Third World country. His legacy of continuously increasing the satisfaction of arriving passengers lives on today.
Even though Lee Kuan Yew may not be considered a “role model for democracy,” he nevertheless succeeded— thanks in large part to this very plan —in transforming Singapore from a Third World country into one of the countries with the highest per capita incomes worldwide within a generation.
So, here’s a thought: why don’t we create our own Changi experience, with us playing the role of Singapore? If we improve the “onboarding experience” of interacting with us, we’re bound to be more successful. But, there are two key things we need to keep in mind.
- Onboarding is more than just the first meeting. Onboarding is a process that doesn’t stop after the initial contact. Just like Lee Kuan Yew made the journey from the airport to the city—and the train station and its surroundings—a memorable experience for newcomers, we need to ensure that not just the first, but also the second, third, and fourth impressions of us generate positive feedback. I’ll explain what I mean in a minute…
- We shouldn’t create Potemkin villages. Building a façade of pretense will eventually backfire, resulting in the opposite of what we want. The initial “wow” factor will quickly turn into disappointment. So, we need to think about how we can genuinely improve first impressions without being fake.
If we consider these two points, we can significantly boost our reputation with just a few thoughtful actions. This approach applies to everyone we come into contact with for the first time—the new boss when starting a job, the new collaborator in a project—but today, let’s focus on the example of a candidate for your team.
How can we create a Changi experience here? Let me start by pointing out what not to do. Once, I was a candidate for a senior leader position, and here’s what happened during my interview: I had to wait half an hour past the agreed time in front of a closed door. When it finally opened, another candidate came out, sweaty and with a flushed face. Then I was invited in and placed on a chair in front of a table with eight people, at least half of whom were clearly playing the role of “bad cop”—their facial expressions and body language didn’t exactly scream openness and sensitivity. I went through with the interview and actually many others like it, but I knew before the first word was spoken that I wouldn’t want to work at companies with such a poor “welcome culture.”
So, before the first conversation with a candidate, it’s a good idea to put yourself in their shoes. Imagine how the world looks to someone who probably hasn’t had as much experience as you have. An interview is always a stressful situation, no matter what, and everyone handles it differently. What we can do, though, is make the process as pleasant as possible.
For example, I’ve learned to be ready to welcome the candidate not just at the scheduled time, but about 10 minutes earlier. That’s around the time when the candidate typically checks in at reception. This way, I can shorten the waiting time, during which stress levels might continue to rise. I also avoid “outnumbering” situations as much as possible. The 8-on-1 situation I described earlier is simply unacceptable. Instead, I gather the opinions of other team members about the candidate one by one, creating 1:1 situations with as many team members as possible (by the way, this is also a concept that Google follows). This approach not only helps to create a more comfortable environment for the candidate but also demonstrates that we truly live the team values we claim to uphold.
But the onboarding process with us actually starts even earlier. If you go down the route of a “standard job posting,” you’re likely to have limited success in recruiting. We should, therefore, ask ourselves (and make this clear in the job posting): What does a good postdoc, PhD, or undergrad candidate want from us? What do they expect, and what can we offer that others perhaps can’t? Why is working with us better and unique? In marketing terms, we need to define and clearly present our Unique Selling Proposition.
I’m sure you have a ton of other ideas on how to elevate the first contact with a candidate to a whole new level. Feel free to share your thoughts with others in our community on X or LinkedIn.
– Robert
PS: Check out our brand new landing page for the Research Leadership Mastery Program. A new cohort is starting soon!