University Hall in the distance on a sunny day with a line of flowers in the foreground

Office of Organizational Learning and Development

Preboarding

Preboarding is a critical first step in the onboarding journey and encompasses the process of getting a new hire fully set up in our systems—from creating their employee number and NetID to activating their email and Canvas accounts—so they are ready to work on their first day. This process is led by Human Resource Services, with collaboration from IT.

Managers are essential partners in preboarding, ensuring all necessary actions on their end are completed so their new hire is ready to start. The biweekly start dates set by HRS help keep this process on schedule—starting outside that timeline can make it difficult (or not possible) to get the new employee preboarded by their first day.

This website provides a general overview of the preboarding process, along with guidance on where to go for help if you need it.

Preboarding steps

  • Congratulations! Your new hire accepted the job offer. What should you do next?

    • Have the Chair of the Hiring Committee notify the Recruitment Specialist that the offer has been accepted.
    • Ensure an Electronic Hiring Form (EHS) has been submitted in U-Approve.
    • Plan to have your new employee begin on one of the biweekly start dates. This allows time for routing and approving Electronic Hiring Forms (EHFs) in U-Approve, creating jobs in Banner, generating UM credentials, and submitting and processing IT tickets so new hires may have UM network and email access on day one. If the preboarding process is not completed the Tuesday before a start date, UM network and email access cannot be guaranteed.
    • To learn more, please review the Recruitment and Hiring webpage or reach out to your Talent Acquisition Specialist. You may also contact HRS at (406) 243-6760 or ASKHR@mso.umt.edu.
    • Review the Manager’s Guide to Onboarding and additional onboarding resources on OOLD’s Onboarding website.

  • Ensure that your new hire completes their new hire paperwork at least a week prior to their start date. You should both receive guidance about this directly from the recruitment team.

    For questions about new hire paperwork, please contact Bonnie Tucker, Onboarding Technician at bonnie.tucker@mso.umt.edu.

  • An important part of the preboarding process is the creation and approval of the Electronic Hiring Form (EHF). You can follow its approval status in by checking the list found in the "Form Routing" tab, under “Routing and Recipients”.

    Good-to-know:

    • Please ensure whoever oversees EHF creation in your department has created an EHF for your new hire as soon as they've accepted the position. An EHF should be routed and approved at least one week before your new hire's start date. If this step is not completed in a timely manner, the preboarding process may be delayed and UM network and email access cannot be gauranteed.
    • Check the “Routing and Recipients” list found under the "Form Routing" tab to see whether or not you’re an assigned approver.
    • When the EHF reaches the Recruitment Office (second to last signature), they will send your new hire documents for their signature through DocuSign.
    • When the DocuSign process is complete, your new hire’s 790 will generate and appear at the top of the EHF (found in "Summary Report") above their email.
    • If you have questions about your EHF, contact your Recruitment Specialist.

  • Once the EHF is approved by the HRA (last signature), they will build out your new hire’s job in Banner. This triggers the creation their employee NetID and umontana alias.

    Good-to-know:

    • IT cannot create email/computer accounts until your new hire’s UM credentials are generated.
    • Your new hire will have a Canvas account automatically created for them after their job has been built out in Banner and gone through the overnight processing period.
    • To check on your new employee’s preboarding status, contact Bonnie Tucker, Onboarding Technician, at bonnie.tucker@mso.umt.edu.

  • is a mandatory tech orientation all new hires must attend to gain access to their email/computer accounts, or if their mso account isn’t active.

    • Submit an to IT on your new hire’s behalf.
    • Find a time for the new employee to attend UMAS as soon as possible. They will not have access to their email/computer accounts until this step is complete.
      • Group, in-person sessions are offered on biweekly start dates from 9-11 a.m. in LA 139.
      • Or, contact IT at (406) 243-4357 and schedule a time for your new hire’s UMAS appointment.
    • Contact the IT Help Desk with questions at (406) 243-4357.

Preboarding FAQs

  • Your employee’s NetID generates after their job has been built out in Banner and gone through a 24-hour processing period.

    • Jobs in Banner aren't built out until a new hire completes their new hire paperwork, DocuSign (if applicable), and their EHF has been routed and approved. Banner entry is one of the last steps of the preboarding process.

    To check whether or not a new hire's NetID exists, have them use the .

    You may also contact Bonnie Tucker, Onboarding Technician, at bonnie.tucker@mso.umt.edu to learn your employee’s NetID or its status.

    Questions?: Please contact Bonnie Tucker, Onboarding Technician, at bonnie.tucker@mso.umt.edu or reach out to HR at ASKHR@mso.umt.edu. 

  • Your employee’s 790# generates after they’ve signed their DocuSign documents (if applicable). Once this is completed, their 790# will appear at the top of the EHF above their email.

    Good-to-know: 

    • Location: On the main page of your employee’s EHF, click on “Summary Report” (found on the upper right side of the screen). This will take you to a new tab detailing your new hire’s EHF. At the top, under “Candidate,” you’ll find their 790#, located above their email.

    ehf image depicting where to find summary report

    ehf of where to find 790

    • You can view whether or not your new hire has completed their DocuSign.
      • Scroll down to the bottom of the EHF’s main page.
      • There, you will find a bulleted list beginning with “Hire”.
      • Locate “HiringPhaseDocuSign”.
      • If there is a “C” next to it, their DocuSign is complete. If there is an “I” next to it, it is incomplete. 

    ehf and how to find docusign by scrolling down

    ehf with a completed docusign example

    • You can check to see if your department's Recruitment Specialist has sent a DocuSign to your new hire.
      • In the EHF's main page, click on the "Form Routing" tab.
      • Scroll down to "Routing and Recipients".
      • Locate "Recruitment Phase - Hiring Office" (second to last signature).
      • You will see an "Approved" status and time stamp once your department's Recruitment Sepcialist has approved the EHF. During this step, they send new hires DocuSign documents (if applicable) and will note it in the comment section.
      • Please note: Recruitment cannot send out DocuSign documents until the EHF reaches their queue. Please allow them 48 hours to approve an EHF and send out DocuSign documents before reaching out.

    ehf form routing image

    scroll down direction form routing ehf

    ehf routing and recipients image

    • If your new hire is a returning employee, they may not need to sign any DocuSign documents. Instead, their 790# will automatically appear in the abovementioned location. 

    Questions?: Please contact your department's Recruitment Specialist or Bonnie Tucker, Onboarding Technician, at bonnie.tucker@mso.umt.edu.

  • To get a UM email address, your employee will need, in this order:

    1. To have completed the preboarding process and have their UM credentials (790#, NetID, and umontana alias) generated.

      • If you have any questions or would like to check on your new hire's preboarding status, please contact Bonnie Tucker, Onboarding Technician, at bonnie.tucker@mso.umt.edu.

    2.  An submitted to IT.

      • Please ensure someone within your department has submitted an to IT on your new hire's behalf.
      • If you have any questions or would like to check a ticket's status, please contact the IT Help Desk at (406) 243-4357.

    3.  To attend a session.

      • is a mandatory tech orientation in which your new hire will gain access to their UM email and accounts. They will not be able to log in to their email unless they attend a UMAS session.
      • If you have any questions or would like to schedule a UMAS appointment for your new hire, please contact the IT Help Desk at (406) 243-4357. You may schedule an appointment as soon as an has been submitted.
      • For the group sessions offered on biweekly start dates from 9-11 a.m. in the LA building, room 139, registration is not required. As long as an has been submitted in advance, a new hire is welcome to attend.
      • For identity verification purposes, an employee will need to know their and 790# to attend UMAS.

  • An employee’s email is set up during the mandatory tech orientation, .

    In order to attend UMAS:

    1. Your new hire needs to complete the preboarding process (new hire paperwork, EHF approval, Banner entry, creation of UM credentials, etc.).
    2. An must be submitted by someone within the department on your new hire's behalf.
      • Questions?: Please contact the IT Help Desk at (406) 243-4357.

    After the abovementioned steps have been completed, you or your new hire may schedule a UMAS appointment.

    • To schedule a one-on-one UMAS appointment, please call the IT Help Desk at (406) 243-4357. This can be done as soon as an has been submitted.
    • If an employee attends a group UMAS sessions offered on one biweekly start dates from 9-11 a.m. in the LA building, room 139, registration is not necessary. As long as an has been submitted in advance, they are welcome to attend. 

    For identity verification purposes, anyone attending UMAS must know their and 790#.

    If you have any questions, please contact the IT Help Desk at (406) 243-4357.

    1. Check in with HR.

      • Reach out to HR at ASKHR@mso.umt.edu or Bonnie Tucker, Onboarding Technician, at bonnie.tucker@mso.umt.edu, to ensure your new hire has completed the preboarding process, have their UM credentials (790#, NetID, and umontana alias) generated, and their job built out in Banner.

    2. Submit an or check in with IT.

      • If your new hire has completed the preboarding process, ensure you or someone within your department has submitted an to IT. To check whether or not an IT ticket has been submitted, or to check the ticket’s status, contact the IT Help Desk at (406) 243-4357.

    3. Schedule a time for your new hire to attend a .

      • This is a mandatory tech orientation your new hire must attend in order to gain access to their UM email and accounts. To schedule an appointment, or if you have any questions, please contact the IT Help Desk at (406) 243-4357.
      • Group session are offered on biweekly start dates from 9-11 a.m. in the LA building, room 139. Registration is not necessary. However, an must be submitted in advance or else a new hire will not be able to attend.
      • To verify their identity during UMAS, your new hire will need to know their and 790#. 

  • For new employees starting after April 2025, Canvas accounts will automatically be created after their jobs have been built out in Banner and gone through the overnight processing period.

    • To check the status of your new hire’s Banner accounts, please contact Bonnie Tucker, Onboarding Technician, at bonnie.tucker@mso.umt.edu.

    For employees who started prior to April 2025 and are moving positions, Canvas accounts may need to be requested. To request a Canvas account, please fill out and submit a .

    To check to see if your new hire has a Canvas account, please have them try logging in to Canvas using their NetID and associated password.

    • If you have questions regarding Canvas or Canvas access, please contact the UM IT Help Desk at (406) 243-4999.

  • Early access to Canvas requires:

    1. Completion of the preboarding process

    This entails:
    • Your new hire filling out and submitting all necessary new hire paperwork
    • Your new hire signing any DocuSign documents
    • The routing and approval of their EHF

    2. Approval from the HRA overseeing a department’s hiring

    • Once the preboarding process has been completed, you may contact the Human Resource Associate (HRA) overseeing your department's hiring and request your new hire be entered into Banner. The HRA will review the request and determine whether or not building out your new hire's job in Banner is permittable.
    • If the HRA believes the request is appropriate, they'll build out your new hire's job in Banner, which will trigger the creation of their Canvas account. Their Canvas account will generate once their jobs in Banner have gone through the overnight processing period.
      • Preboarding process questions?: Contact Bonnie Tucker, Onboarding Technician, at bonnie.tucker@mso.umt.edu or reach out directly to your department's HRA.
      • Canvas questions?: Contact the UM IT Help Desk at (406) 243-4999.

    OR...

    • If you’d like to forgo the preboarding process, you may try reaching out to Educational Initiatives and Innovations (formerly known as UMOnline) by submitting a and detailing your new hire’s circumstances. Educational Initiatives and Innovations reviews these on a case-by-case basis and may allow a Canvas account to be created for your new hire prior to their start date.
      • Questions?: Contact the UM IT Help Desk at (406) 243-4999.

    PLEASE NOTE: Gaining access to Canvas accounts too far in advance of a new hire’s start date may interfere with labor laws. Please reach out to your department’s HRA if you have any questions.