All about the hiring process in 3 easy steps
The process of hiring a new employee may seem daunting, especially if you’re a startup or new company without an HR function. You may have a lot of pertinent questions, such as — What’s the best place to look for candidates? How do I decide which candidate to hire? What should I do from a legal perspective in terms of offers and contracts? And much more.
Let’s simplify the hiring process for you in three easy steps — all of which are relatively similar for any size business, from preparation to candidate selection and finalising the new hire. In this blog, we’ll walk through what each step is, what actions you should be taking, the required documentation and the candidate’s journey.
1. Prepare
Preparation Stage Simplified
As with any task or project, preparation is always the key! Clearly articulate the role, responsibilities, qualifications and experience for any position. It’s important to have a very specific and concise description to better target your potential candidates. The more specific the job description is, the more it will help candidates who are a good fit for the role emerge.
Plan how you’ll fill the position — will you invite applications through your website or place an ad on portals such as LinkedIn? Remember to consider Nationalization, or Emiratization, while recruiting in the UAE. Once the job has been advertised with an application deadline and you begin receiving applications, start the shortlisting process.
It’s important to keep open and transparent communication with all your candidates, even with the ones that don’t meet the role requirements. You are not just an employer; you are also a business and a declined candidate can easily turn into a loyal customer. So, go that extra mile to communicate to all job applicants.
2. Select
Selection Stage Simplified
At this stage, use the criteria that you specified in the job description to determine the selection criteria. This will ensure that you remain objective through the process and may also prompt you to reconsider your selection criteria i.e. perhaps you were not specific enough and generated too many random applications or you were too specific and received insufficient qualified candidates.
For candidates that meet the criteria, start by an initial telephone interview followed by a face-to-face interview, if successful. At the face-to-face interview, think about the type of questions you would ask or perhaps ask the candidates to prepare a presentation in advance. Remember, give as much information to the candidate to help them prepare for the interview. You should always ensure that candidates are made comfortable throughout the process so that they can present the best version of themselves. Feel free to give your front runner candidate an office tour after their face-to-face interview to make them feel more welcome and at ease about the process. As much as you want to find the right fit for the position, they’re also looking for the right company fit.
When making your selections, pick your number 1, number 2 and number 3 topmost candidate. This way, if one declines, you don’t have to repeat the entire process.
Again, remember to decline all the unsuccessful candidates. Don’t forget to complete reference checks after you’ve selected the front runner for the open position. Ensure you have saved copies of CVs, interview forms and reference check forms.
3. Hire
Hiring Stage Simplified
The final stage is but, of course, the hiring stage. Send a formal offer to the candidate and begin negotiations, if any. Once the terms have been agreed upon on both sides, formalise the final offer and contract. Avoid taking shortcuts such as downloading a “free” offer letter and employment contract template. It’s best to get a legal or custom created offer letter and employment contract that reflects your business since free templates won’t fit the company’s needs and can miss important points that are specific to your industry. Doing so will minimise potential issues related to hiring in the future.
Once the candidate formally accepts the offer, begin the work permit and visa process. You must also start collecting documentation at this stage to maintain on a personal file for each employee, which should at a minimum include the signed offer letter, passport copy, attested degree certificate, photo with white background and industry-specific requirements and licenses on file.
Send your new team member a welcome email and assign a single point of contact as well as information about the onboarding process and what they can expect next. This is when you should make the employee feel welcome and excited about their new role and company, so transparent and regular communication is key.
Have more questions about the hiring process? We can help every step of the way, from a single service as needed to outsourcing the full process to us. Email us on info@snk-consulting.com today for a free 30-minute consultation and start hiring for zero finder fees.