Onboarding Forms
About Onboarding Forms
Onboarding Form Templates are specialized digital forms designed to streamline the process of integrating new employees, clients, students, or members into an organization or program. These templates help collect essential information, set expectations, and ensure a smooth transition for newcomers. Common use cases include employee onboarding, client intake, volunteer registration, student enrollment, and vendor onboarding. By standardizing the onboarding process, these forms help organizations gather necessary data, provide important resources, and establish clear communication from the very beginning.
With Jotform, users can easily customize and deploy onboarding forms tailored to their specific needs. Leveraging Jotform’s intuitive drag-and-drop Form Builder, users can add or modify fields, incorporate branding elements, and integrate with other business tools—without any coding required. Jotform’s platform also supports conditional logic, automated notifications, and secure data storage, making it an ideal solution for organizations seeking to optimize their onboarding workflows and enhance the experience for new joiners.
Use Cases of Onboarding Form Templates
Onboarding Form Templates can be adapted for a variety of scenarios, each addressing unique challenges and requirements. Here’s how these templates can be used, who might use them, and how their content may differ:
- Possible Use Cases:
- Employee onboarding for HR departments
- Client onboarding for agencies or service providers
- Volunteer onboarding for nonprofits
- Student onboarding for educational institutions
- Vendor or contractor onboarding for procurement teams
- Problem Solving Points:
- Centralizes data collection and document submission
- Reduces manual paperwork and administrative errors
- Ensures compliance with organizational policies
- Improves communication and sets clear expectations
- Possible Owners and Users:
- HR managers and recruiters
- Project managers and client success teams
- School administrators and teachers
- Nonprofit coordinators
- Procurement and operations managers
- Differences of Creation Methods:
- Employee onboarding: May require fields for personal details, tax forms, emergency contacts, and policy acknowledgments.
- Client onboarding: Focuses on business information, service requirements, and contract agreements.
- Volunteer onboarding: Includes availability, skills, background checks, and consent forms.
- Student onboarding: Gathers academic history, parental consent, and health information.
- Vendor onboarding: Requests company credentials, compliance documents, and payment details.
In summary, onboarding form templates can be tailored to fit the unique needs of any organization or process, ensuring a seamless and efficient onboarding experience.
How to Create an Onboarding Form
Creating an effective onboarding form with Jotform is a straightforward process that can be customized for any onboarding scenario—whether you’re welcoming new employees, clients, students, or partners. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you design, build, and manage your onboarding forms efficiently:
1. Start with the Right Template or a Blank Form
- Log in to your Jotform account and click “Create” on your My Workspace page.
- Choose “Form” and either start from scratch or select from Jotform’s library of onboarding form templates.
- Pick a layout: Classic (all questions on one page) or Card (one question per page).
2. Customize the Form for Your Use Case
- Click the “Add Element” menu to drag and drop fields relevant to your onboarding process.
- For employee onboarding, include fields for personal information, emergency contacts, tax forms, and policy acknowledgments.
- For client onboarding, add fields for company details, project requirements, and service agreements.
- For student onboarding, request academic records, parental consent, and health information.
- For vendor onboarding, collect business credentials, compliance documents, and payment details.
3. Personalize the Design
- Use the Form Designer (paint roller icon) to match your organization’s branding.
- Adjust colors, fonts, and layout to create a welcoming and professional appearance.
- Add your organization’s logo and customize the form URL for a branded experience.
4. Set Up Conditional Logic and Integrations
- Use conditional logic to show or hide fields based on user responses (e.g., only display tax forms for employees in certain regions).
- Integrate with payment gateways if onboarding involves fees or deposits.
- Connect with other tools (e.g., HR software, CRM, or email marketing platforms) for seamless data transfer.
5. Configure Email Notifications and Autoresponders
- Set up instant notifications for HR, managers, or relevant teams when a form is submitted.
- Send confirmation emails to new joiners with next steps or welcome materials.
6. Publish and Share Your Form
- Click “Publish” and share the form link via email, your website, or social media.
- Embed the form on your intranet or onboarding portal for easy access.
7. Test and Manage Submissions
- Preview the form and submit a test entry to ensure everything works as intended.
- Monitor submissions in Jotform Tables, filter responses, and export data as needed.
By following these steps, you can create a tailored onboarding form that streamlines data collection, enhances the onboarding experience, and ensures all necessary information is gathered efficiently.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is an onboarding form template?
An onboarding form template is a pre-designed digital form used to collect essential information from new employees, clients, students, or partners during the onboarding process.
2. Why are onboarding forms important?
Onboarding forms help standardize the intake process, ensure compliance, reduce manual errors, and provide a smooth transition for newcomers.
3. What information is typically collected in an onboarding form?
Common fields include personal details, contact information, emergency contacts, policy acknowledgments, document uploads, and role-specific data.
4. Are there different types of onboarding forms?
Yes, onboarding forms can be tailored for employees, clients, students, volunteers, or vendors, each with unique fields and requirements.
5. Who should use onboarding form templates?
HR professionals, school administrators, client managers, nonprofit coordinators, and procurement teams can all benefit from using onboarding form templates.
6. How do onboarding forms improve the onboarding process?
They centralize data collection, automate notifications, reduce paperwork, and ensure all necessary steps are completed efficiently.
7. Is the information collected in onboarding forms secure?
Yes, when using platforms like Jotform, data is stored securely with encryption and compliance with privacy regulations.
8. Can onboarding forms be integrated with other business tools?
Absolutely. Onboarding forms can be connected to HR systems, CRMs, payroll software, and other tools to streamline workflows and data management.