Hiring Process

Glossary > Hiring Process

What is the Hiring Process?

The hiring process usually falls under the HR umbrella, but can also fall under the Talent Acquisition (TA) umbrella as well. It involves everything from identifying an open role to onboarding a new employee. This process looks different at every organization, but the goal is always to hire and retain top talent.

What are the Steps in the Hiring Process?

Depending on the roles and industry, the hiring process can have a variety of different steps. While it’s different for every organization and team, the hiring process typically consists of the following:

  • Identify the need  - The first step is deciding to hire for a role. The open position could be to fill in from recent turnover or even create a brand new role. Define the job’s responsibilities and details before writing your job description.
  • Identify hiring goals  - Decide with the hiring team what the ideal candidate would look like – what are essentials to the job that need to be looked for in interviews? This will also help you plan what channels to share the job posting on.
  • Source candidates  - If you’re hiring for a specific qualification, certification, or experience level – you’ll want to target your sourcing. Think about who in your talent network would qualify for the role and invite them to apply or answer questions. If you plan on volume hiring for a role utilize databases and job boards to invite as many applicants as possible.
  • Communicate and schedule  - Once you’ve received applicants for the position, you can start communicating with candidates. Utilize tools like automated messaging to pre-screen candidates, schedule interviews, and answer questions. This is a crucial part of the hiring process for both candidate and recruiter!
  • Interview  - This process can have as many interviews as needed to screen the candidate. Work with the hiring team to include key decision makers in interview meetings and guide the candidate through the process.
  • Hire  - Once a candidate has been selected the hiring team will generate an offer letter. This step may involve some negotiations or back-and-forth, but it ends in a candidate being hired for the open position.
  • Onboard  - This last step is very crucial in employee retention – even though it is often overlooked. Onboarding an employee involves orienting them to your company culture, policies, benefits, and more. This can even start before the new hire’s first day! Send over paperwork to sign digitally or company videos to get them started.

How Long is a Hiring Process?

The time it takes for a company to hire for an open position can be anywhere from one week to several months. The type of role, sourcing strategy, and company deadlines can determine the length of the hiring process. Some jobs may only require 1-2 interviews, while others could require four or more – all depending on the type of job. Candidates can communicate during the interview process to get an estimated timeline for hiring – it can help everyone stay on the same page!

What Does HR Do in the Hiring Process?

The Human Resources (HR) umbrella can cover everything from company benefits to talent acquisition teams and recruiters. These groups are responsible for finding, interviewing, hiring, and onboarding employees. Recruiting can be a branch of HR on its own or be done by the same person doing the benefits – it all depends on organization size!

More on the Hiring Process

Looking for more information on the recruiting and hiring process? Read more on recruiting, HR tech, and hiring in these articles. And stay up to date on the latest in HR Tech by following our blog and resource library!