Across the Industry

Best Practices for Onboarding New Credentialing Professionals: Tips From Fellow I.C.E. Members

By the I.C.E. Editor

For those entering credentialing, learning the ins and outs of the industry can be overwhelming. From grasping new terminology to understanding how to develop an exam, there is a lot to uncover during the onboarding process. Similarly, it can be difficult for those overseeing this process to know where to begin and how to best acclimate a new professional to their organization.

With workplaces changing and processes shifting, we asked the I.C.E. Publications and Editorial Committee to share tips from their own onboarding experiences, and ways their organizations onboard new professionals.

Tips From Fellow Industry Professionals

While each organization will need to tailor their onboarding process to fit their group’s specific needs, consider incorporating these tips and ideas:

  • Take a structured approach to onboarding so everything isn’t taught all at once. Having a clearly defined training schedule where new employees can learn in bite-sized ways can help them better digest the new information they are learning.
  • Develop orientation and/or training checklists customized to each role. For credentialing staff, consider including reading materials such as the candidate handbook, standard operating procedures and your organization’s polices. Training itself can also be part of the checklist, whether it’s to become a certified certification professional or participating in hands-on, organization-specific training.
  • Create an onboarding book or binder with detailed information broken out into chapters for each aspect of your organization. While hands-on training will most likely be needed, the chapters can contain documentation that can be used as reference material as a person becomes familiar with the work.
  • Explain the importance of customer service in credentialing. Provide an overview of why candidates apply for credentials, common applicant/candidate misconceptions, etc. Having insights into common credentialing terminology can also go a long way with those the new staff member or volunteer may serve.
  • Use the buddy system. Whether one is new to credentialing in a staff role or board member capacity, assign a more seasoned colleague to be their go-to person for questions, background information, industry insights and feedback.

Credentialing Industry Resources

The following resources provide a solid foundation for new credentialing professionals, whether seeking certification themselves or looking to learn more about their field of work:

While certification is not required by new staff and volunteers, the certification resources for this exam identify the tasks required of a certification professional and give an overview of the skills and knowledge needed to work in the credentialing industry.

Written by someone who has been on every side of a certification program, this primer gives a general and clear overview of certification. The author also shares advice for demystifying the complexity of credentialing based on his own experiences.

For those new to credentialing programs, exam development and psychometrics can be a lot to comprehend all at once. Whether you’re a board member, a subject matter expert, new staff member or are interested in learning more about creating an exam, this handbook breaks down the technical components in an easy-to-understand way.