​​​​In 5 Steps: ​​Build a Custom GPT to Onboard New Employees

Instead of digging through PDFs or waiting for someone in HR to reply, your new hires could simply ask a friendly AI assistant any onboarding question - anytime, anywhere. By turning your company handbook and internal docs into an interactive GPT, you’re not just saving your HR team hours of repetitive explaining, you’re giving every new employee a smoother, more confident start from day one.

Step 1: Gather Your Onboarding Materials

Before building the assistant, get your knowledge base in one place. Focus on what new employees often ask:

• Company handbook or welcome pack
• Workflow overviews (e.g. how to request leave, IT setup guide)
• Org chart or who-to-ask list
• Onboarding timeline/checklist
• Mission, vision, values, and culture slides
• Internal tools and systems guide (Slack, Notion, HR portal)

Tip: Even if you don’t have everything documented yet, start with FAQs and expand later.

Step 2: Head to ChatGPT and Start Your Custom GPT

Go to https://chatgpt.com/gpts, then click “+ Create”

You’ll be walked through a no-code interface:

• Set a name (e.g. “AskHR: Onboarding Assistant”)
• Upload an avatar/logo
• Set visibility (private, internal, or public)

You’re now creating a chatbot that will live inside ChatGPT, available anytime to answer onboarding questions.

Step 3: Define the Role and Personality

The most powerful part: giving your GPT a clear purpose and tone.

In the “Instructions” section, write:

You are AskHR, a friendly and reliable onboarding assistant for [Company Name]. You help new employees navigate their first 30 days by answering questions about policies, processes, company values, and tools. You are warm, professional, and avoid jargon.

Also define:

• What it should do (answer HR, IT, culture-related questions)
• What it should not do (e.g. give legal or payroll advice)
• How it should behave (e.g. friendly, concise, always helpful)

Step 4: Upload Docs and Link Responses

In the “Knowledge” tab, upload your materials. GPT-4-turbo can now reference these directly to give grounded answers.

Then, in the instructions or examples section, guide it like this:

• “When asked about vacation, reference ‘vacation policy.pdf’ Section 2.”
• “If unsure, suggest who to contact (e.g. ‘Reach out to Maria from HR for details’).”
• “Answer onboarding checklist questions with step-by-step bullet points.”

Step 5: Launch, Share & Improve

Once your GPT is ready, click Publish. You’ll get a shareable link, send it to new hires before or after their first day.

Best practices:

• Include the link in your welcome email or Notion workspace
• Ask new hires for feedback: “Was anything confusing?”
• Update documents as your policies evolve so the GPT can stay in sync

Want to go further?

• Create different GPTs for interns, contractors, or regional offices
• Add custom actions like showing office maps or sending reminders

Creating an onboarding GPT is about creating a better first impression. When new hires feel supported and informed from day one, they settle in faster, ask fewer repeat questions, and feel more connected to your company culture. 

Let us know what you would like to dive into next!