Everyone Knows Notion

Everyone knows Notion. The awesome tool that started as a simple note-taking application but soon evolved into something that can do everything.

You can use it for notes, as I already mentioned, but also to track project status. It has databases. It has its own AI to help you quickly create new pages. It can even work as a ticketing system for support, so you can track issues, gather customer feedback, and link it all to the product team. For roadmap planning, issue tracking, and more, it's all there.

And it's not just for small companies. Huge companies use it too: OpenAI, Vercel, Figma, Deel, Cursor. That proves it's a solid choice even for fast-growing teams. These companies have scaled incredibly quickly, and they're still using Notion. So, I think it's safe to say this tool is a great choice.

They use Notion for calendar scheduling, as a CRM, project management, team wiki, and as an all-in-one tool.

Another plus is integration. Notion connects with more than 170 apps today. And not just niche tools, the usual suspects you're already using: Google Drive, MS Teams, Jira… all with official Notion integrations.

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From Theory to Practice

But I don't like staying in theory. I wanted to test the tool and build something real.

So, I started researching problems I often struggle with, issues my clients face, and even checked Reddit to see what people complain about. One theme stood out: onboarding new people is always a pain.

That's when I thought, Why don't we build an onboarding hub for new hires?

The first step was to see if someone had already done this. Obviously, they had. In fact, one company I love, Cursor, built a template to onboard their employees and made it free. I'm a big fan of their product, so I based my work on that template, customizing it for my needs.

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My Onboarding Template

Coming from the consultancy world, I designed this specifically with contractors in mind. I created five main sections:

1. Start Here
2. Company Information and Culture – tailored for the specific client.
3. The Team – who they'll be working with.
4. Important Resources – links, ongoing projects, current status, etc.
5. Roadmap – clear expectations for different timeframes.

First Day Checklist

Before day one, I make sure new hires:

1. Prepare their workstation
2. Have the right computer and software installed
3. Set up email and tools
4. Identify their point of contact
5. Schedule a kickoff meeting
6. Research the company and its products

Company Information & Culture

This section includes:

• Company website
• Project details
• Values
• Mission and vision
• Reason they were hired

Team Structure

Shows the manager, teammates, and relevant co-workers they'll collaborate with.

Resources

The catch-all section with every relevant link and piece of information they'll need.

Roadmap

Clear milestones:

1. Wins expected after 2 weeks
2. Goals for the first month
3. Targets for 6 months
4. Expectations for the first year

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How It Works in Notion

All of this is powered by four databases:

• Meetings
• Projects
• Tasks
• Team members

Each database is linked back into the sections above.

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What's Next

The next step would be adding integrations with the tools you already use. For example:

• If you use Google Drive → integrate with Drive
• If you use Slack → integrate with Slack
• Or whatever other tool fits your workflow

Then, automate it. Each time a new user is created in Google Workspace (i.e., a new hire), the onboarding process kicks off automatically. Someone just needs to review it to confirm all the information is correct.

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Final Thoughts

This isn't hard. What I did here is actually pretty simple. But most companies don't have this in one place. Onboarding often lives in people's heads, not in a documented system. That makes it much harder to bring new people in.

Having a hub like this, with checklists and clear expectations for week one, month one, and beyond, can make onboarding faster, smoother, and ultimately more successful.