How to create a new starter checklist template.
Set new hires up for success with a starter checklist that streamlines your onboarding process today.
Let’s face it. The onboarding process can feel overwhelming for both new hires and managers. But with a structured employee starter checklist, you can keep tasks on track and avoid missing any key steps. Whether you’re using a digital starter checklist PDF or a printed new employee starter form, keeping the process organised is key to a smooth transition.
What is a new starter checklist?
Think of a new starter or new hire checklist as a welcome guide. It helps new team members understand what to expect and provides HR with a straightforward way to manage the onboarding process without missing any important details. A well-structured new employee checklist template can make the onboarding process much smoother.
What to include in an onboarding checklist.
A strong onboarding checklist ensures your employee onboarding process runs effectively and efficiently. Use a consistent new-hire checklist template to help every new starter feel confident and supported from the very first day. Here are some essential steps to include:
- Welcome the new starter. Send a warm welcome message to make your new employee feel like part of the team from their first day.
- Send an onboarding package. Include documents like your new employee starter form, contracts, and company policies.
- Set up the new hire’s work environment. Prepare their desk, logins, software, or remote setup to avoid delays.
- Work with other staff. Introduce the new hire to team members they’ll be working closely with.
- Discuss the position. Go over responsibilities, expectations, and goals to align with their role.
- Talk about the company. Share your company values, culture and history as part of the onboarding process.
- Workplace and company walkthrough. A tour helps the new employee familiarise themselves with physical or virtual working spaces.
- Assign a simple task to get started. Ease new hires in with a small task that builds confidence and momentum.
- Create an extended roadmap for the position. Map out monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly goals to support long-term success and track their progress.
Once a new employee joins, your HR team should tick off each item on the new-hire checklist as it’s completed. Using a consistent starter checklist template ensures every employee begins with the same structured experience.
Why are onboarding checklists important?
A well-structured onboarding checklist does more than guide new hires. It provides support to HR teams, ensures consistency, and builds a strong foundation for long-term success across your employee onboarding process. Onboarding checklists do this by:
- Helping new hires get up to speed. New hires can get a clear sense of direction from day one, helping them feel confident and capable early on.
- Ensuring consistency. Using the same onboarding checklist for each employee boosts fairness and efficiency in the onboarding process.
- Setting clear expectations. When employees know what’s expected, they’re more likely to settle in quickly and perform well.
- Boosting retention. A proper onboarding checklist supports development and makes employees feel part of the team, encouraging them to stay with the business longer.
- Saving on time and resources. Onboarding checklists streamline the process, helping new hires become productive faster and reducing repetitive work for HR teams.
The 5 Cs of onboarding a new hire.
A great starter checklist isn’t just about ticking boxes. It should help new hires feel welcome, confident, and clear on their role expectations. That’s where the 5 Cs come in.
They include:
- Compliance. Covers all legal requirements and formalities, including contracts, policies, and equipment setup. Having compliance tasks in your employee onboarding checklist ensures nothing essential is missing from day one.
- Clarification. Helps the new hire understand their role, responsibilities, and team structure. A well-structured onboarding checklist brings clarity during those first few weeks.
- Confidence. The onboarding process should build the new hire’s belief that they can succeed in the role. Early wins, guidance, and feedback help foster confidence and reduce anxiety.
- Connection. Encourage meaningful connections with team members, managers and culture champions. Relationships built early on through a thoughtful onboarding plan template can lead to better engagement and long-term retention.
- Culture. Share your company’s mission, values and workplace rituals. Embedding culture into your starter checklist helps new hires feel they belong and understand what your business stands for.
As you put together your starter checklist, take a moment to see how each step supports the 5 Cs of the onboarding process. Spot a gap? Update your onboarding checklist to cover it for future employees.
Employee onboarding checklist template examples.
Every new employee deserves a great start. A clear onboarding checklist template removes the guesswork from what happens and when. This helps HR and new hires feel more organised at every stage of the journey. Let’s look at different checklist templates for the stages of the onboarding process.
1. Pre-onboarding checklist.
The pre-onboarding checklist covers everything that should happen after the job offer is accepted but before the new hire’s first day. Its purpose is to prepare the company and the new employee for a smooth start.
It should include:
- Sending the new employee starter form and other key documents
- Sharing login details for internal systems
- Setting up IT equipment or remote access
- Welcoming the new hire via email or phone
- Sharing a brief of what to expect on day one
- Informing internal teams about the new arrival.
2. First day checklist.
A first-day onboarding checklist helps new hires feel welcomed, prepared, and confident. It outlines everything that should happen on day one to ease nerves and kickstart integration.
It should include:
- A welcome tour or video call introduction
- Meeting the team or key colleagues
- Collecting signed documents (e.g., new employee starter form PDF)
- Providing access to tools, systems, and email
- Reviewing the role, responsibilities, and expectations
- Going through key company policies and procedures.
3. Probation checklist.
The probation checklist ensures regular check-ins and structured feedback with the new employee’s line manager during the early months. It’s key for tracking progress and making sure the new hire feels supported.
It should include:
- Setting monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly goals
- Regular 1:1 meetings with the line manager
- Mid-probation review session
- Gathering peer or team feedback
- Final probation assessment
- Confirming permanent employment or next steps.
Tips to create your employee onboarding checklist template.
Every business has its own way of welcoming new hires, which means your employee onboarding checklist template should reflect your unique process. That said, there are a few best practices that can help streamline onboarding and improve collaboration across teams.
One of the smartest things you can do is save your new-hire checklist template as a PDF. PDFs preserve layout and allow for easy sharing, form filling, and collaboration. Other tips include:
- Use a fillable PDF template. A new-hire checklist PDF lets new employees electronically complete and sign forms, saving time and reducing paperwork errors.
- Standardise formatting. PDFs display consistently across devices, making it easier for managers and new hires to follow along, whether on mobile or desktop.
- Allow team collaboration. Use an online PDF editor to leave comments and track changes. This is particularly useful when multiple departments are involved in the onboarding process.
- Keep it modular. Break your employee onboarding checklist into phases such as pre-boarding, day one, week one, and probation to ensure nothing gets overlooked.
- Store a version-controlled copy. Save your PDF in a shared drive to ensure everyone is working from the most current version of the checklist.
Frequently asked questions.
Onboarding should begin before the start date and continue through probation. Onboarding should ideally span the first 90 days to support full integration. This process will allow the new employee enough time to familiarise themselves with company policies and ways of working.
No, onboarding doesn’t automatically mean the person is hired permanently. The onboarding process begins after you’ve accepted a job offer and helps integrate you into the company. However, many businesses include a probation period, during which your performance is reviewed. Full employment is not guaranteed until probation is completed and passed.
Creating employee onboarding survey questions helps you understand how well your onboarding process is working. It gives new hires a chance to share feedback on training, team support, and cultural fit. Regular check-ins at 1-week, 30-day, and 90-day points offer valuable insights during key transition stages.
Additional resources.
Want to make onboarding smoother and easier for your team? PDFs are incredibly versatile. These quick guides show you how to take your onboarding checklist template to the next level.
- Add a fillable form to your PDF. Perfect for new employee starter forms. Create interactive fields so hires can fill and submit information digitally.
- Collaborate directly in a PDF. Make teamwork simple by sharing a link to your document. Allow other team members to add comments, annotations, or sticky notes in real-time.
- Rearrange your PDF pages. Need to tidy things up? Discover how to reorder pages directly into your web browser using Adobe Acrobat online services.
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How to create a new starter checklist template.
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