You know you need a few fresh faces around the office—but that’s about all you know. So how do you get from point A to point H (for hiring)? Is there a specific way you should market your position? A screening process you should adhere to?
Just follow this six-step checklist for everything you need to know.
#1 – Meet to Discuss the Specifics
Hold a meeting with HR, the hiring manager, the recruiting team, and other relevant staff members to go over the details of the job:
- Duties – A clear set of unique job responsibilities to help in creating the job posting and screening candidates for the right skills.
- Timeline – When the job posting goes up and when it closes, the first date of interviews, any subsequent interviews, and anticipated hiring date.
- Salary – Determine the budget in existence for this new employee.
#2 – Create A Clear, Compelling Job Description
Your job description is your chance to make a good first impression on potential employees—like ZipRecruiter’s version of a Tinder bio.
Here’s how to captivate the attention of the right people:
- A short but accurate title
- A detailed description of the expected duties
- The salary range and benefits
- A little bit about the company and its mission
- Qualifications, either required or preferred
- Start and end dates, if any
- Make-or-break details about the job (like relocation or frequent work trips)
#3 – Screen Candidates
Now you’ve got a huge stack of resumes on your desk (or, more accurately, in a folder on your computer desktop). Getting from there to first-round interviews can be daunting, especially when you have a lot of interested applicants.
Check for gold stars, red flags, and caution signs—then proceed accordingly.
If you’re not sure how to screen candidates yourself, you can always use streamlined software like Recruiterbox.
#4 – Conduct Interviews
The first consideration is how many rounds you’ll be holding. You want to be thorough when welcoming new employees, but you also have to be honest with yourself: how much of your time is this position worth?
For high-level, senior executives and company leaders, you really want to put in the extra effort to guarantee a good fit:
- First-round – Find out if they have the education, training, experience, and skills you’re looking for. If you’re looking to save money and everyone’s time, conduct your initial interviews over the phone.
- Second round – Bring a select pool of applicants into the office for a more in-depth discussion of their qualifications. How would they handle certain situations? What’s their management style? Do they have ideas for your company’s future?
- Third round – Once you’ve narrowed in on your top picks, conduct another interview with a larger cast of characters. This round should focus on company fit; will they integrate well into your existing culture and dynamic? Do your current employees like them? It seems trivial—business isn’t about feelings—but it makes a huge difference.
#5 – Perform A Background Check
Last but certainly not least, you have to verify that everything they’ve told you has been true.
When it comes to where to get a background check, there are plenty of online screening resources available that take a fraction of the time of traditional third-party services.
#6 – Initiate On-Boarding
All aboard who’s coming aboard!
Congratulations on finding the perfect new employees, but your job’s not over just yet. There are still a few legal formalities and processes to undergo:
- Prepare the new hire paperwork like contracts and information packets
- Gather the required documents, including Form W-4 for withholding income tax, Form I-9 to verify U.S. employment eligibility, and a job application form
- Register with the appropriate state agencies and file the necessary documents
- Maintain records of any tests they took, including drug tests and background checks
- Set them up in your payroll system and employee benefits package and keep all records
Check, Check, and Double-Check
You made it through the list, which means you’ve got a stellar new employee to train! What are you waiting for? You have slideshows to present, software programs to teach, and a bright-eyed team member to integrate.