5 Steps to a Lightning-Fast Hiring Policy.

In order to deter claims of discrimination and follow best practices in the hiring process, a well-thought-out hiring policy should be drafted. The policy will address main topics such as personnel requisitions, recruitment, interview process, employment background checks, and start date and orientation.

1) Personnel Requisitions

This is initiated by the department’s manager/supervisor and approved by the organization’s Vice President/President.

Once a supervisor has identified a need to hire a new employee, either to replace a terminated employee or because of an increase in workload, the first step should be to formally complete a Personnel Requisition Form. The main purpose of this form is to establish a need for the new position, and demonstrate that funds and space are available. Drafting the job posting would be the next step and listing all key position functions, including education and experience. Once the form is complete, the organization’s supervisor or Vice President will approve.

2) Recruitment (External and Internal)

When it is time to find a viable candidate, this task can be achieved by job postings, bulletin boards, social media, etc.

The services that an organization uses to find viable job candidates includes social media (LinkedIn or Facebook), online job postings (Career Builder and Zip Recruiter), and employee referral program (provides incentives to employees who refer job candidates). The resources you are using to gather an applicant pool should be non-discriminatory and open to all qualified candidates.

3) Interview Process

Gather a pool of candidates and conduct either phone or in-person interviews.

In order to save time, it is strongly recommended to conduct a preliminary phone interview first to see if the candidate is a good fit for the organization. Nothing is worse than scheduling a face-to-face interview with a candidate, spending time to discuss their qualifications, and then learning that their salary requirements are completely off from what the business is offering.

We highly recommend creating a list of questions that may asked during the phone interview. Here are a few suggestions that may work:

• What are three qualities that set you apart from the average candidate?
• What are your current salary requirements?
• Name three things you did not like about your last employer.
• Where do you see yourself professionally in the next three to five years?

4) Employment Background Checks

You have found the person for the job and it is now time to make sure they do not have anything in their background that would disqualify them from employment.

Time is of the essence at this point. Hopefully you have already disclosed to the applicant during the interview that part of the hiring process consists of an employment background check. Here is where you will engage your third-party background screening organization to provide the screening on the new hire. Make sure that the proper notices have been provided to the new hire, and you have acquired their signed consent to the background check required by your organization’s hiring policy.

5) Start Date and Orientation

Upon beginning employment, the new employee must complete all new hire paperwork. They must also attend an orientation provided by the manager or supervisor that will consist of a check-list for company policies and procedures.

Now that the employee has passed the employment background check, it is time for the orientation and on-boarding. It would be wise to develop a new hire checklist that can address these points:

• New hire paperwork (tax forms, and any internal policies)
• Employee Handbook signature (confirm that the employee acknowledges receiving the handbook)
• Orientation (introductions made by the hiring manager to other employees)
• Employee Training (applicable only if there is any mandatory compliance training that the new hire needs to complete)