Whether you’ve hired many people or just a few, having a hiring checklist can smooth and speed up the process—and ensure that steps are not overlooked.
Assess the position
- Determine whether you need to replace an existing position, revamp it or create an entirely new job.
- Meet with people in your organization to discuss responsibilities and qualifications for the position.
- Create a list of “required” and “preferred” qualifications. Clarify what experience and characteristics an ideal candidate would have.
- Write a Job Description which includes all the essential job responsibilities.
- Determine competitive compensation for the position. Use Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics tool from Minnesota's Labor Market Information Office to determine the right wage for your industry and location in Minnesota, based on the position you're hiring for.
Spread the word
- Post the job internally and on your company website.
- Notify staff that they’re welcome to apply.
- Ask employees to tell their friends, associates and contacts about the position and to recommend qualified candidates.
- Post the Job on Minnesota's state labor exchange - with no fee.
- Post it on professional and industry association job posting boards.
- Use social media, for example LinkedIn and Facebook, to promote the position.
- Consider posting on job sites such as Indeed, Monster and Glassdoor, which have various free and paid options for employers.
- Talk with community college and university career offices and post the position with them.
- Share with non-profits and community-based organizations that serve job seekers.
- Share the job description with CareerForce's employer engagement specialist in your region to broaden the reach through the CareerForce network of job counselors.
- Attend job fairs and hiring events to meet prospective employment candidates.
Screen candidates
- Set up a process for collecting resumes from various sources.
- Acknowledge receipt of all resumes.
- Filter and rank resumes based on job requirements and preferred qualifications.
- Develop questions for an initial pre-interview phone screening.
- Call candidates who appear to best meet the requirements.
Interview top applicants
- Develop a list of questions based on the job description.
- Include behavioral and open-ended questions.
- Call the top candidates and set up interview appointments.
- Come to the interview with information about your organization, its needs and values.
- Schedule additional rounds of interviews.
- Try to have a diverse company representation on panel interviews.
- Use a rating scale to help compare impressions and rank candidates.
- Tell candidates about your timeline and hiring process so they know what to expect.
Extend an offer
- Discuss and determine whether any of the candidates meet the organization’s needs or whether you need to interview additional applicants or conduct a new search.
- Talk with your top candidate to gauge that person’s interest and salary expectations.
- If you can reach an agreement, make a job offer contingent on reference/background checks.
- Prepare a letter offering the position and the terms.
- Ask the candidate to formally accept the job by signing the offer.
- Agree on a start date.
- As a courtesy and an indicator of your organization’s values, let the other job applicants know the position has been filled.
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