Hiring Process: Key Steps
Hiring Process
You have been assigned the task of hiring a new employee. Not sure where to start? You have come to the right place.
The selection process can be quite overwhelming for anyone looking to hire. We have created a detailed outline of a hiring process that is sure to help any HR manager.
Key Steps:
- Create a project plan. The first step in your hiring process is to create a project plan. This plan should be a detailed outline of your hiring process. Be sure to include dates, especially if you need someone hired by a particular date. This Project Plan Hiring spreadsheet is a good starting point. Add or remove steps as necessary.
- Define the position. This step is potentially the most important part of the hiring process. A well written job description will attract the candidates that you are most interested in hiring.
- Filtering the resumes. After the position has been posted and you have started receiving resumes, you can begin filtering the resumes right away. Eliminate any candidates that have not followed your instructions. If you asked for a cover letter and there is no cover letter, they are rejected. Briefly review the resumes to check that candidates meet your criteria as described in the job ad. All that followed the instructions and meet your criteria, will continue to the next step.
- Selection tests. Send the candidates a screening test and a cognitive ability test. Set a benchmark. Any candidates that do not meet that benchmark are eliminated. SIGMA can help with setting a benchmark if you’re unsure. The benchmark is just a guideline. If you really love a candidate’s resume, always take that into consideration. For each candidate, use this scoring sheet to review the results and identify any potential concerns that have been identified from the selection test results. Be sure to include questions in the interview that will address any potential concerns.
- Interview questions. Use the selection test results to select some of your interview questions. SIGMA has developed an Interview Guide that will be helpful in selecting some of these questions. The interview guide also has helpful tips for what to do and, more importantly, what not to do. Try to have around 8-12 interview questions. Select a combination of situation and behavior questions.
- Interview scoring. Once you have your interview questions, enter them into the Interview and Resume Evaluation Sheet. The document is separated into three parts: interview questions, resume and general information on candidate, and key finding / recommendation. For Parts A and B, assign each question an importance scale from 1-3; 1 being low importance and 3 being high importance. After the interview, you can rate each candidate’s response in the interview as well as their resume and general findings. Use the rating scale of 0-3 (0 = no experience; 1 = low experience/poor response; 2=average experience/response; 3= high experience/response). Calculate the candidate’s score for each question in each section, and enter the totals into the last page to calculate an overall score. Using this document for every candidate gives the hiring process some additional structure to help compare the candidates, and ultimately, guide you to making the right hiring decision.
- References. Finally, once you have made your decision, be sure to contact the candidate’s references.
Hiring Resources in this post:
Check out our EGuide, The Structured Interview for more information on setting up interviews.
