New hire orientation includes a Fast Start in Verizon Sales.

This year, Verizon was named a top company by the Association for Talent Development (ATD) for demonstrating enterprise-wide success as a result of employee talent development. Now a 7-time winner, Verizon ranked #11 out of 59 organizations on ATD's 2019 BEST Awards. From Women of the World (WOW) to our Fast Start New Hire Experience, we're dedicated to providing V Teamers with world-class resources for growth and development.    

Participants tour the Executive Briefing Center (EBC) as part of their Fast Start experience.

Investing in our people is a big part of what we do — and here at Verizon, we begin as early as day one. Through the Fast Start New Hire Experience, we provide a new hire orientation in Sales with a fully immersive, collaborative and thorough training program during their first week on the job. The five-day training program is divided into key areas:

• Company and culture

• Products and solutions

• Systems training

• Networking

Just as its name states, Fast Start training gives new hires a jumpstart for their new role in Verizon Sales. Just ask V Teamers Julie G. and Katrina F. who both attended Fast Start training sessions led by Antoinette L., a manager on the Global Delivery Team. The stories of their new hire orientation demonstrate how we give employees the power to excel in their sales careers through our immersive new employee training program.

Make strong connections. 

Fast Start Facilitator Antoinette L. with Verizon CEO Hans Vestburg.

Fast Start facilitator Antoinette L. creates a welcoming experience and a sense of inclusion early on. Her goal is to have participants make connections at the outset to support one another in their new workplace. “We spend more time with the people we work with than with our friends and family,” she said. “We’re responsible for creating an environment that makes people want to come to work.”

"I really focus on helping people get connected to our culture. Verizon is a big world and I thrive on being able to create an experience where new hires immediately feel like they’re a part of the Verizon family," Antoinette said. 

For Antoinette, the biggest takeaway in training new employees as part of the Fast Start program is the creation of a strong foundation to serve as the launchpad for their careers. By the end of the five days, participants depart with a greater understanding of the company culture, their role and knowledge of the various tools and resources that are available.

Learn from leadership.

V Teamer Julie G. said that Fast Start gave her a great opportunity to learn from senior sales leaders. As part of her training, she attended presentations from George Fischer, SVP of Verizon Global Enterprise, and Debika Bhattacharya, VP of Global Presales Solutions. Hearing these leadership perspectives during her first days at Verizon set the tempo for her career here.

“I'm very much driven by my leadership. I need to have leaders that I look up to, and that is 100% what my experience has been like here,” she said. “Hearing their journeys helped me understand that even at their senior level, they care as much about the business as they do about the individuals that report to them.”

Build a foundation for your career.

Katrina F. has been supporting the V Team for six years, beginning her career selling Fios door-to-door. She later moved into retail, eventually becoming a District Sales Manager. After changing careers, Katrina recently began a new position on Verizon’s Sales team.   

As she was going through the onboarding process for her new role, Katrina said she felt valued and inspired to make a difference from the very beginning. For her, transparency and respect contributed greatly to her pleasant onboarding experience with Verizon.

The Fast Start new hire orientation course allowed Katrina to feel a sense of inclusion and preparation for the career ahead of her while giving her a strong foundation for her new role in Verizon Sales. Without this, she said, those initial weeks could have been daunting for her. 

Learn more about how Verizon creates a culture that empowers.