Sean’s Perspective
At Apple, I was given all the skills needed to perform and make an impact, not just a bunch of random tools.
—Sean Choi, Senior Strategist at The Martin Agency.
Pre & Onboarding Experience
“At Apple, I was given all the skills needed to make an impact”
Sean Choi is a Senior Strategist at The Martin Agency, a Media and Marketing company serving clients like GEICO, OREO, and UPS, to name a few. Brought up by a global family, Sean is now a Brooklyn-based strategist who values culture, relationships, and a good story.
Working among many companies and brands, Sean has experienced a multitude of different Pre & Onboarding processes. One of them was when he started working for Apple. Sean significantly appreciated how he was given all the skills needed to perform and make an impact, not just a bunch of random tools that were handed off. “It was more empowering and quite educational in the sense of making all the employees feel prepared,” he recalled.
Now, at his current agency, “There is a dedicated Talent and Culture team, which is a very important evolution of HR,” according to Sean.
Spotlight Quote
It was more so empowering and quite educational in the sense of making all the employees feel prepared.
—Sean Choi, Senior Strategist at The Martin Agency.
Spotlight Quote
It was more so empowering and quite educating in the sense of making all the employees feel prepared.
— Sean Choi, Senior Strategist at The Martin Agency.
In Sean’s Own Words
“I live in Brooklyn. I am a Korean-American and have been fortunate enough to be in a career and a field that I love. I consider myself a multi-disciplined Strategist, and I am currently working agency-side here at Martin Agency. I’m fortunate to work with great people and have a lot of great clients.
As a person and how that ties into what I get to do, I’m just a sucker for a good story. I love storytelling, I love story-listening, and so culture is something that’s deeply ingrained in my system. That’s something that our agency really prioritises and values. It’s a really great place to be.”
Sean’s Pre & Onboarding Experiences
“Most recently, where I am now (Martin Agency), I would say the biggest takeaway from using Introdus was that it was truly disruptive in the sense of how people-focused it was. I think this came through in all aspects of communication and tonality and the content that was shared just to make sure I had the best onboarding experience possible.
We have a dedicated Talent and Culture team, which is a very important evolution of HR in my opinion. These people are really making sure that people are welcomed, especially virtually now. People are welcomed into the company environment and ensure the company culture is really embraced, and our Talent and Culture team are proactive in establishing what that even looks like. And so I really appreciate how much care there was, and how much consistency as well throughout all the different interactions that I had.
Prior to that, which seems like a lifetime ago, I spent quite a bit of time at Apple. When I started at Apple I think what stood out to me was (the Onboarding) not only helping me feel valued but also equipped. I was given all the skills needed to perform and make an impact, not just a bunch of random tools that were handed off to me. It was more so empowering and quite educational in the sense of making all the employees feel prepared, which I think can go a long way in an Onboarding process.”
Embracing a Better New Hire Experience
There is a dedicated Talent and Culture team, which is a very important evolution of HR. I really appreciate how much care there was.
—Sean Choi, Senior Strategist at The Martin Agency.
Embracing a Better New Hire Experience
There is a dedicated Talent and Culture team, which is a very important evolution of HR. I really appreciate how much care there was.
—Sean Choi, Senior Strategist at The Martin Agency.
Strategies to feel connected working remotely
“I think it pays dividends to go above and beyond when it comes to adding a little more of a personal touch to the onboarding experience. I don’t know if there are many people that are in UX for Onboarding or HR or Talent and Culture, but I think it’s a really underrated and underserved area. I think just adding a personal touch, adding personal interaction especially amid the pandemic, can manifest itself in various ways, whether it’s a care package of items that are specific to the company culture or even the home office location. It kind of gives you a sense of connection.
That’s something that Martin did brilliantly. Something as simple as getting to know your team by setting up virtual chats, virtual coffee chats, recreating that experience you might have had in-office, as far as going to grab a drink with someone, or stopping over by someone’s desk just to say ‘hey’. I think there are lots of different creative ways that people can bring that to life as we all work from home.”