6.2 Training & Onboarding
(Or: "How to turn clueless new hires into productivity ninjas in 14 days")
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6.2.1 New Hire Training Checklists
The 30-Day Launch Sequence
📋 Day-by-Day Roadmap (Indian Startup Edition)
Phase Focus Area Pro Hack Owner
Day 0 Pre-boarding (Docs, Laptop) Send branded welcome box (₹500 budget) HR
Day 1 Culture & Systems Founder-led "Why We Exist" talk CEO
Week 1 Role-Specific Skills Shadow 3 team members Department Head
Week 2 Client Exposure Sit on 2 support calls (mute mode) Team Lead
Day 30 Graduation Test Demo 1 deliverable + culture quiz Mentor + Founder
🔥 Horror Story:
A Bengaluru startup let new devs "self-train":
• 3 months to first productive code
• ₹18L lost in missed deadlines
• 6 clients churned over quality issues
Checklist Template:
markdown
# [Role] 30-Day Onboarding
✅ **Pre-Day 1**
- [ ] Signed offer letter
- [ ] GST-compliant bank details submitted
✅ **Week 1: Survival Skills**
- [ ] Can access all tools (Slack, CRM, etc.)
- [ ] Explain company's core metrics
✅ **Week 2: First Deliverables**
- [ ] Complete [sample task] with mentor sign-off
- [ ] Document 3 key learnings
✅ **Day 30: Graduation**
- [ ] Present at team meeting
- [ ] Receive "Full Access" permissions
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6.2.2 Teaching the "Unofficial Hacks"
(What No HR Manual Will Tell You)
💡 The Shadow Curriculum
Category Official Way Unofficial Hack Who Teaches It?
Client Management "Follow the process" "Always CC their junior to speed up responses" Sales Veterans
Government Compliance "File by the 10th" "Inspectors accept chai + forms at 11AM" Office Admin
Tech Tools "Use the full feature set" "Alt+Shift+R reboots the server" Engineering Leads
📌 Pro Tip: Create a "Dark Manual" wiki with:
• Password: RealIndiaWorks@2024
• Sections:
o #bribes-not-bribes (Gifts that move files)
o #client-whispering (Unwritten rules)
o #tool-hacks (Shortcuts that save hours)
💀 Nightmare Scenario:
A new hire followed the "official" vendor payment process:
• ₹7L stuck for 3 weeks
• Production halted
• Had to pay 15% premium for emergency supplies
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🛠️ Leveraging the New Internship Policy
India's Hidden Talent Goldmine
🚀 3-Step Intern-to-Hire Pipeline
1. Structured Rotations
o 1 month in Ops → 1 month in Sales → 1 month in Core Team
2. "Hackathon Testing"
o Give real business problems:
"Reduce customer onboarding from 7 days to 2"
3. Stipend-to-Salary Bridge
o ₹15K/month intern → ₹6L/year FT offer (with ESOPs)
Cost Savings:
• 80% cheaper than campus hires
• 3x longer retention (vs external hires)
• Zero recruitment fees
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🛡️ Training Health Check
"Is your onboarding building warriors or creating chaos?"
Parameter 😱 Sink or Swim 🛠️ Basic Structure 🛡️ Special Forces Training
Time-to-Productivity 3-6 months 4-8 weeks 2 weeks
Unofficial Knowledge Trial by fire Some mentorship Curated "hack libraries"
Intern Utilization Coffee runners Project support Pipeline for 40% of hiring
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🚨 Training Emergencies
"When new hires are drowning:"
Disaster First Aid System Fix
Intern doing nothing Assign to fix 1 broken process Create "Impact Tasks" list
Mass confusion Stop hiring + document gaps Build simulation exercises
Culture dilution Founder-led culture bootcamp Peer accountability systems
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📌 Founder's Training Toolkit
1. The "Red Folder"
o Physical binder of:
• Cheat sheets
• Emergency contacts
• "What I Wish I Knew" letters from past hires
2. The Shadow Program
o New hires document 10 unofficial rules
o Best submission wins ₹5K
3. The Intern Hackathon
o Quarterly challenge:
• Prize: FT offer + ₹50K
• Judge: Clients
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🎯 Final Thought
"In startups, training isn't an expense—it's your intellectual property factory."
