👉 The Death Zone: Why So Many Hires Fall Apart Between Signing and Start Date (and How to Prevent It)
There’s a strange phase in hiring that hardly anyone talks about. That quiet time after a candidate signs the contract, but before their first day. The time when everyone breathes out, high-fives and stops paying attention. But as anyone who’s hired enough people knows, that’s exactly when things can start to wobble.
Notice periods drag, excitement fades. Then the charming counter-offer appears and suddenly the person who felt “locked in” starts to drift. It doesn’t always happen, but it can. We’re all unpredictable humans after all. Which is why it’s important not to drop the ball here.
Ignoring pre-emboarding? That’s the kiss of death.
How to keep momentum between signing and start date
Stay engaged
Silence makes people guess. A simple check-in, update or message keeps the connection warm.
Make them feel part of the team early
Invite them to a team call, share onboarding plans, introduce key people. The goal here is to make them feel like they already belong, before day one.
Keep the energy up
Remind them why they said yes, the mission, the impact and especially their motivators.
Start pre onboarding
Equipment, start date, first-week schedule, try and remove every question mark.
Don’t assume it’s done
Assumptions are another kiss of death in recruitment. A signed contract is not a start date. Treat that window like a final stage of the process.
That gap between offer and day one isn’t quiet time, it’s the final test of engagement on both sides. Nail that, and your new hire walks in on day one with energy, confidence, and commitment.
If you’d like advice on tightening your offer-to-start process or improving pre-boarding engagement, get in touch.
We’ve seen how small tweaks can save great hires.
