Career Website check list:

Career sites have evolved to include much more than just job descriptions for open positions and an
online application. But are you including all of the elements needed to attract the right talent to your
company? Use our checklist below to evaluate your current site.

Career Website Checklist

Easy-to-use interface. You want to create the best candidate experience possible. Conducting user-
experience testing will ensure candidates can easily search for jobs and complete the application
process.

Mobile friendly design. Candidates today are applying on the go. If your careers site isn’t mobile
friendly, you could lose out on top talent.

Location-based search features. Enabling job seekers to search for open positions in one geographic
area adds to an improved candidate experience. Instantly populating open positions according to the
user’s location on page-load takes this feature a step further. Every click or tap you can save the user
makes the whole process that much simpler.

Mobile job search functionality. Beyond mobile-friendly design, your careers site should be fully-
functional for mobile users. Many applicant tracking systems do not allow for users to search from
their mobile devices at all.

Mobile job application functionality. Having a mobile job application goes hand-in-hand with mobile
search functionality. If users can search for a job on their mobile device but have to complete the
application on a desktop computer, you could lose those candidates in the transition.

User-friendly search filters and categories. Organize job categories and search filters so that they are
intuitive to job seekers. This may differ from your internal company structure.

Integration with social networks (LinkedIn, Facebook Recruiting, etc.). Many job seekers come to
your website via job postings on social networking sites. Integrating with these sites makes the
application process simpler for the candidate to complete.

Straight-forward job descriptions. Whether your job descriptions are 50 or 500 words, ensure they
include relevant and accurate information that allows your candidates to make an informed decision
when applying for a position.

Job notification alerts. These will keep potential candidates who did not find a relevant position
available at the time of their search engaged with your company.

Incorporates Company Culture. Candidates are interested in learning who they will be working with,
and what sort of environment they will be working in.

Includes benefit information (tangible and intangible). Along with important financial benefits,
candidates today are interested in the intangible or soft benefits your company provides. This will
also give a better picture of your company’s work environment.
Includes authentic images. Stock images are easy to spot and don’t give an accurate representation
of your company. Adding a variety of images of your team, including candid shots, will add to the
authenticity of your site.

Incorporates Video. Video is the new phenomenon and for good reason. Users are looking for
anything that will give them a sneak-peak inside your company so they can picture themselves as a
part of your team.

Communicates potential growth opportunities. Including a career path for certain positions allows
applicants to see the opportunities for growth within your organization.

Recruitment Checklist:

Identify the vacancy:

Figure out what role is missing in your business and the kind of candidate who you want to fill it.

Prepare a job description:

Define the role in more detail and build a profile that will form the backbone of your job advert.

Decide where to advertise:

With a wealth of options, take some time to figure out if a more general advertising avenue or one
tailored to your industry is more likely to see results.

Market the role:

You want to reach the right person. Spread the word through your current and past employees,
through business networks and more traditional advertising routes.

Create a good impression:

The first port of call of many potential applicants will be your website. How does it stack up against
your competitors? How does it reflect what you do, who you are and what your company culture is?

First contact with applicants:

Decide how you will respond to applicants when they send in their CVs or application forms. Again
this is a good opportunity to market your company as one that operates professionally. Let potential
candidates know how you will get back to them and when

Create a shortlist:

Some CVs and application forms will stand out naturally. But make sure you’re not throwing out
some wheat with the chaff. Professionally created resumes can be deceiving. Show flexibility if
appropriate. The world of work is fluid now. People can expect to do several different careers in
their working life. Look for key transferrable skills even if an applicant hasn’t done the actual job
before.

Interview:

Interviews have a strange energy to them. You’re trying to recruit the best. The candidate wants to
be your best. And this is the best opportunity you’ll have to see if the person on paper stacks up to
the person sitting in front of you. Prepare well and delve deep

Select the best candidate:

This will depend on how you see the role developing. Do you want someone fully formed or have
you identified a star in the making that could flourish with some additional support or training? How
closely does your chosen recruit fit your job profile?

Prepare the new recruit:

Don’t underestimate the power of a good induction process. Give the new recruit a positive start
and you’re more likely to retain them. Recruitment is costly. And first impressions count.

Selection and Hiring Checklist:

Want to recruit and hire a superior workforce? This checklist for hiring employees will help you
systematize your process for hiring, whether it's your first employee or one of many employees that
you are hiring. This checklist helps you keep track of your recruiting efforts.

This hiring checklist communicates both the recruiting and the hiring process and progress in
recruiting to the hiring manager. Your feedback and comments are welcome to improve this
checklist for hiring employees.

Checklist for Hiring Employees:

Determine the need for a new or replacement position.

Think creatively about how to accomplish the work without adding staff (improve processes,
eliminate work you don’t need to do, divide work differently, and so forth).

Hold a recruiting planning meeting with the recruiter, the HR leader, the hiring manager, and,
potentially, a coworker or internal customer.

Develop and prioritize the key requirements needed for the position and the special qualifications,
traits, characteristics, and experience you seek in a candidate. (These will assist your Human
Resources department to write the classified ad; post the job online and on your website, and screen
resultant resumes for potential candidate interviews.)
With HR department assistance, develop the job description for the position.

Determine the salary range for the position.

Decide whether the department can afford to hire an employee to fill the position.

Post the position internally on the job opportunities bulletin board in your lunchroom and on your
company intranet for one week. If you anticipate having difficulty finding a qualified internal
candidate for the position, then state in the posting that you are advertising the position externally
at the same time.

Send an all-company email to notify staff that a position has been posted and that you are hiring
employees.

All staff members should encourage talented, qualified, diverse internal candidates to apply for the
position. (If you are the hiring supervisor, as a courtesy, let the current supervisor know if you are
talking to his or her reporting staff member.)

Interested internal candidates fill out the Internal Position Application.

Schedule an interview, for internal candidates, with the hiring supervisor, the manager of the hiring
supervisor or a customer of the position and HR. (In all cases, tell the candidates the timelines you
anticipate the interview process will take.)

Hold the interviews with each interviewer clear about their role in the interview process. (Cultural
fit, technical qualifications, customer responsiveness, and knowledge are several of the screening
responsibilities you may want your interviewers to assume.)

Interviewers fill out the Job Candidate Evaluation Form.

If no internal candidates are selected for the position, make certain that you clearly communicate
with the applicants that they were not selected. Whenever possible, provide feedback that will help
the employee continue to develop their skill and qualifications. Use this feedback as an opportunity
to help the employee continue to grow their career.

If an internal candidate is selected for the position, make a written job offer that includes the new
job description and salary.

Agree on a transition timeline with the internal candidate’s current supervisor.

If you've created another internal opening, begin again.

End the search.

If no qualified internal candidates apply, extend the search to external candidates, if you didn't
advertise the position simultaneously. Develop your candidate pool of diverse applicants.

Spread word-of-mouth information about the position's availability in your industry and to each
employee’s social and real-world network of friends and associates.
Network and post jobs on online social media sites such as Twitter and LinkedIn. Ask your employees
to publicize the position through their online social media networks.

Place a classified ad in online and offline newspapers with a delivery reach that will create a diverse
candidate pool.

Recruit online. Post the classified ad on jobs boards and newspaper-related websites including your
own company recruiting website.

Post the position on professional association websites.

Talk to university career centers and attend career days.

Contact temporary help agencies.

Brainstorm other potential ways to locate a well-qualified pool of candidates for each position.

Through your recruiting efforts, you've developed a pool of candidates. People are applying for your
open job. Whether you have developed a candidate pool in advance of the job opening or you are
searching for an employee from scratch, the development of a qualified pool of candidates is crucial.

Send emails to each applicant to acknowledge receipt of the resume. Simply acknowledge your
receipt of their application. Make no other statements. (Qualifiers such as the following were once
popular with employers, but they open you up to the possibility of legal problems down the road: "If
the candidate appears to be a good match for the position, relative to your other applicants, you will
contact them to schedule an interview. If not, you will keep their application/resume on file for a
year in case other opportunities arise.)

Once you have developed a number of applicants for the position, screen resumes and/or
applications against the prioritized qualifications and criteria established. Note that resume cover
letters matter as you screen potential employees.

Create a short list of applicants after the hiring manager and Human Resources staff review the
applications that they have received for a particular job.

Phone screen the short list of candidates whose credentials look like a good fit for the position.
Determine candidate salary requirements, if not stated with the application, as requested. (Note
that an increasing number of jurisdictions across the US are making this practice illegal, so know the
laws where you work.)

Schedule qualified candidates, whose salary needs you can afford, for a first interview with the hiring
supervisor and an HR representative, either in-person or on the phone. In all cases, tell the
candidates the timeline you anticipate the interview process will take.

Ask the candidate to fill out your official job application, upon their arrival for the interview.

Give the candidate a copy of the job description to review.

Hold screening interviews during which the candidate is assessed and has the opportunity to learn
about your organization and your needs.

Fill out the Job Candidate Evaluation Form for each candidate interviewed.

Meet to determine which (if any) candidates to invite back for a second interview.
Determine the appropriate people participating in the second round of interviews. This may include
potential coworkers, customers, the hiring supervisor, the hiring supervisor’s manager and HR. Only
include people who will have an impact on the hiring decision.

Schedule the additional interviews.

Hold the second round of interviews with each interviewer clear about their role in the interview
process. (Culture fit, technical qualifications, customer responsiveness, and knowledge are several of
the screening responsibilities you may want your interviewers to assume.)

Candidates participate in any testing you may require for the position.

Interviewers fill out the candidate rating form.

HR checks the finalists’ (people to whom you are considering offering the position) credentials,
references, background check, and other qualifying documents and statements.

Anyone who has stated qualifications dishonestly or who fails to pass the background checks is
eliminated as a candidate.

Through the entire interviewing process, HR, and managers, where desired, stay in touch with the
most qualified candidates via phone and email.

Reach consensus on whether the organization wants to select any candidate (via informal discussion,
a formal discussion meeting, HR staff touching base with interviewers, candidate rating forms, and
so on). If dissension exists, the supervising manager should make the final decision.

If no candidate is superior, start again to review your candidate pool and redevelop a pool if
necessary.

HR and the hiring supervisor agree on the offer to make to the candidate, with the concurrence of
the supervisor’s manager and the departmental budget. (Always consider these factors before you
make a job offer.)

Talk informally with the candidate about whether he or she is interested in the job at the offered
salary and stated conditions. Make certain the candidate agrees that they will participate in a
background check, a drug screen and sign a Non-compete Agreement or a Confidentiality
Agreement, depending on the position. (This should have been signed off on when filling out the job
application.) If so, proceed with an offer letter. You can also make the job offer contingent on certain
checks.

If not, determine if negotiable factors exist that will bring the organization and the candidate into an
agreement. A reasonable negotiation is expected; a candidate that returns repeatedly to the
company requesting more each time is not a candidate the company wants to hire.

If the informal negotiation leads the organization to believe the candidate is viable, HR will prepare a
written position offer letter from the supervisor that offers the position, states and formalizes the
salary, reporting relationship, supervising relationships, and any other benefits or commitments the
candidate has negotiated or the company has promised.

The offer letter, the job description, and the Company Non-Compete or Confidentiality Agreement
are provided to the candidate.

The candidate signs the offer letter documentation to accept the job or refuses the position.
If yes, schedule the new employee's start date. Pursue welcoming the new employee from the
minute they accept your job offer.

If no, start again to review your candidate pool and redevelop a pool if necessary.

Recruiters and hiring managers share a common goal: finding great candidates as quickly as possible.
In a perfect world, their collaboration is smooth and effective. But often, the recruiter-hiring
manager relationship is a tense one. Hiring managers might complain about a low-quality shortlist of
candidates, while recruiters could struggle to meet high expectations set by hiring managers.

Some common problems between hiring managers and recruiters:

Hiring managers are unsatisfied with the quality of candidates.

Recruiters are dealt unrealistic expectations from hiring managers.

Recruiters and hiring managers have differing opinions on the strategy and how long it should take
to hire someone.

Instead of getting frustrated with hiring managers who don’t understand you or are hard to work
with, consider these three things:

You can’t do your job alone.

Befriend hiring managers, ask for their advice and appreciate their management experience.

Hiring managers have other things to do.

They might not have extra time to spend on recruiting strategies.

Treat your hiring manager like a customer.

Work to identify and address their needs. After all, their satisfaction means you’ve closed a
successful hire.

Here’s how you can tackle the most common differences and start building strong relationships with
hiring managers.

When hiring managers don’t provide clear job requirements:

Perform internal research. Identify the department’s role in the business and take a look at the
organizational chart. Ask yourself:

How does this team function in the company?

How has the team evolved in recent years?

What are this team’s short-and long-term goals?

Ask pointed questions. Interview your hiring manager and avoid generic questions, like “What are
you looking for in your new team member?” Think of criteria that would make strong interview
questions (e.g. “What kind of software have you used in a similar role?”) Here are some ideas:

What skills should the ideal candidate have?

What technological tools does the candidate need proficiency in?

How is the team structured and who will the new hire report to?

Perform external research. It will save both you and the hiring manager time if you research industry
benchmarks to figure out the best candidate source for the specific position and the kind of skill set
you’re looking for. You can use this data as a starting point and then add on any extra requirements
your hiring manager has. When performing external research, ask yourself:

What are the main responsibilities for this role?

What kind of qualification is usually required for this role?

What’s the usual salary range?

When hiring managers want a shorter time-to-fill:

Engage in the entire recruiting process. Show your hiring managers you care and you’re not there
simply to fill their job quickly and move on. Going the extra mile separates a good recruiter from a
bad one.

Identify potential deal-breakers early. Make sure there are no last-minute surprises. Different salary
expectations or a request for a flexible work schedule could start the hiring process all over again. To
keep your hiring manager satisfied, be proactive and warn them about potential deal-breakers.

Opt for transparency and metrics. Time-to-fill is a common ground for miscommunication in the
recruiter-hiring manager relationship. An Applicant Tracking System can make your hiring process
more transparent, as the entire hiring team can access important metrics. Metrics can include: the
number of people interviewed, the number of candidates who advance in the interview process and
reasons candidates are rejected.

When hiring managers have very high expectations of recruiters:

Reconsider must-haves and nice-to-haves. Sometimes, hiring managers set high expectations. This
can mean a longer sourcing process, especially for hard-to-fill roles. Meet with your hiring manager
and prioritize what skills candidates need before they’re hired and what skills they can learn on the
job. Then, adjust your job description accordingly.

Check back with the hiring manager regularly. If you meet with your hiring managers only twice (to
get job requirements and to provide a shortlist of candidates), you risk suggesting unqualified
candidates. Get frequent feedback from hiring managers while in the middle of sourcing. Successful
recruiters stay in close contact with hiring managers, as they may change job requirements.

Be upfront about results. Set ground rules with your hiring manager to lay the foundation for a
trusting relationship. Listen to their expectations, but clarify your limitations. For example, if the
hiring process includes an assignment, it’s best to collaborate on a timeframe with appropriate
deadlines.
Related: 17 effective candidate sourcing tools

When hiring managers need help interviewing candidates:

Share sample interview questions. Some hiring managers might lack interview experience, so walk
them through the process. Explain what to expect from candidates’ answers and point out red flags
they should prep for. Follow up with them after their interviews, discuss their concerns and advise
them on their final choice.

Improve candidate experience. Hiring managers who are new to their jobs could fall into the trap of
common interviewer mistakes, like asking illegal interview questions. As a recruiter, you should
guide hiring managers to avoid poor candidate experiences which can hurt your employer brand.

Fight bias. If you spot any questionable behavior during the hiring process, consult the hiring
manager. Help the manager make an objective decision by presenting each candidate’s strengths
and weaknesses. While screening candidates, guide the hiring manager to focus on things that
matter, like relevant skills and a penchant (vs. a passion) for the job.

Open your communication lines. Communication is the key to healthy relationships, and the hiring
manager-recruiter relationship is no exception. Discuss your communication style with hiring
managers and encourage them to express their views.

With time and willingness to communicate more openly, you’ll be able to foster strong working
relationships with hiring managers and hire more effectively, as a team.

Avoid the Pitfalls of a Bad Hire With the Hiring Manager Intake:

A job req opens that needs to be filled ASAP and your hiring manager is swamped with their typical
work duties. Amidst the chaos, they send you over a job description that was used to hire for the
same position previously and tell you to get going.

Don’t Fall Victim to Reactive Recruiting

Does the above scenario sound familiar? In working with thousands of employers, we see it time and
time again- and people wonder why they fall victim to the costs of a bad hire! Strong communication
between recruiters and hiring managers is the #1 indicator of successful hiring. But how can you
facilitate this communication and define a clear recruiting strategy without interrupting everyone’s
busy work schedules?

Note: There is some contention around what this form should be called. Our thoughts- who cares
what it’s called! The fact is that you need an efficient way to strategize with your hiring managers.
For the sake of practicality, in this post we call it an intake form.

Key Topics Covered in the Hiring Manager Intake Form

Timeline for hire

Scope and expectations for the role

The ideal candidate profile

Location

Compensation

Why candidates should be excited about this role

What Is the Hiring Manager Intake Form?

The hiring manager intake form is a questionnaire that provides you with a simple and structured
methodology for keeping your hiring managers actively involved in the recruiting process. Think of it
as your recruiting playbook, your checklist prior to takeoff, that will accomplish two goals:

Facilitate the conversation needed to scope the role and develop an ideal candidate profile.

Set expectations of you, your hiring manager, and the role that each of you will be held accountable
for.

Benefits of the Hiring Manager Intake Form

Proactive Recruiting Is Easier Than Reactive Recruiting

As referred to in the opening scenario, when hiring, many companies fall into reactive recruiting
practices. Recruiters pass through candidates based on the limited information that hiring managers
have provided them. On the flip side, hiring managers assess each of these candidates against the
next one, developing an ever-changing candidate criteria as they go.

Unfortunately, this process is completely backward and opens the door for bad hires, which will only
end up wasting valuable time and money. You need to define the ideal candidate profile early on
and lock down a hiring strategy so that you aren’t chasing a moving target.

Makes You Better at Selling the Job

The secret of every great salesman is a deep understanding of their product. In recruiting, your
product is the job that you are hiring for. If you are knowledgeable about the position, this is evident
in the conversations that you have with candidates and will allow you to tell a far more compelling
story.

Furthermore, effectively communicating a role to candidates and answering any questions that they
may have removes the doubt and perceived risk in their mind. By removing your candidate’s
uncertainty, you are simultaneously removing your own uncertainty about whether or not they will
accept a job offer. Everything has already been laid out on the table and you can get a fair read on
how your candidate is feeling. After all, you don’t want to be left at the altar because of some last-
minute doubts.
You Will Hire Better People

The goal is always to hire the best but how can you hire the best if you haven’t defined what a
quality candidate is? Using the hiring manager intake form gives you a definitive candidate criteria so
that you can be laser-focused in your search for that next great hire.

Your Hires Will Stay Longer

Having a comprehensive understanding of a given role means that you can present it to candidates
accurately and with full transparency. You will be selling the actual role that the candidate will be
filling, not performing some bait and switch after they sign on to do the job. This will increase
retention rates because your new hires are self-selecting into the job. They aren’t being sold on a job
that they won’t actually be doing.

What is an intake meeting?

Recruiters hold intake meetings with hiring managers during the initial phase of a recruiting process.
During these meetings, recruiters and hiring managers clarify the job title and job duties, set
candidate qualification criteria and agree on the hiring stages (e.g. screening calls, assessments tests,
etc.)

Intake meetings are useful because they help recruiters:

Reduce miscommunication and back-and-forth emails

Clearly establish a position’s requirements

Engage hiring managers in the recruiting process

Maintain good working relationships with hiring managers

How to prepare for an intake meeting with hiring managers

The hiring process begins long before recruiters start screening resumes or interviewing candidates.
For successful intake meetings with hiring managers:

Conduct external and internal research. Before meeting with hiring managers, save time by
researching:

Salary benchmark data for this position

Typical skills and qualifications required for the role

Sources of previous hires (if you’ve recruited employees for this or a similar role)

Set a timeframe. Forecast how much time you’ll need for each hiring stage based on recruiting
metrics like:
Yield ratios

Time-to-hire

Time-to-fill

Gather basic information about the open role. Before meeting with the hiring manager, learn:

The recruitment budget for this position (contact your finance team, if necessary)

The reason for this job opening (if it’s a replacement or a new role)

The employment duration (e.g. long-term or short-term position)

Sample questions to ask hiring managers during intake meetings

Both you and hiring managers will benefit from intake meetings, as long as you ask pointed
questions that help shape the profile of a qualified candidate and get at the motivation behind hiring
for the position. Here are some example questions to ask:

Why do you need to hire for this role?

What’s your department’s function within the company?

What’s the structure of your current team and who will your new hire report to?

Will your new hire have any direct reports?

What are the main responsibilities that your new hire will have?

What are the top three contributions this new hire will make to the company within their first 90 or
120 days?

What is the relationship this role has to other lines of business within the organization?

What qualifications are must-haves for candidates? (e.g. X technical skills, experience with Y
projects, Z certification or license)

What would be some nice-to-have skills for candidates and why? (e.g. experience in retail, familiarity
with X programming language)

Is it necessary for candidates to have industry experience for this role? Why or why not?

What software should your new hire be proficient in?

What are your dealbreakers and why?

What’s the salary range for this position?

Beyond our standard employee benefits package, are there any additional perks and benefits related
to this position? (e.g. sales bonus)

What’s the working schedule for this position?

When do you ideally want your new hire to start?

How do you plan to assess candidates during the hiring process? Will you give them a written
assignment or a project?

What’s the career path for this position?

What to do during and after an intake meeting

Help hiring managers separate must-haves from nice-to-haves. A long list of requirements not only
scares applicants away, but could also compel you to reject good candidates simply because they
don’t check all boxes. Ask hiring managers follow-up questions like “Should we immediately
disqualify candidates who don’t have X in their resumes?” to identify what’s desired rather than
required.

Prepare the job ad. Or, review the job description your hiring manager wrote. You can use job
description templates as a starting point and customize them. Make sure your job ad is well-
structured, buzzword-free and that it clearly describes the scope of responsibilities. Add anything
that would attract potential candidates, like benefits your company offers.

Follow up regularly. Communicate with hiring managers through the entire recruiting cycle. Hiring
status update emails or reports created by your Applicant Tracking System make the process
transparent and easy to understand. Share the following data with hiring managers: number of
interviews held, number of candidates qualified and reasons why candidates were rejected.

Provide interviewing assistance. Some hiring managers, particularly those who are new to their jobs,
might struggle with the role of interviewer. Share some sample interview questions, offer tips on
how to evaluate candidates’ answers (including how to read candidate body language) and highlight
illegal questions they need to avoid.

Killer Job Description:

Defining the job position and the ideal job candidate is the most critical step in the recruitment
process. Not only will it help you focus, it will ensure better communication between you, your
candidates and your hiring stakeholders. Those who do not prepare in advance risk attracting
unqualified candidates. (No thanks!)

So, how do you define the position to get yourself one step closer to posting your job?

A safe place to start is with a questionnaire. The questionnaire is exhaustive, and covers objective
and subjective criteria.

If you are the hiring manager, a questionnaire is a great time to do key research on how you want to
present your job opening. If you are recruiting on behalf of a hiring manager, sit the hiring manager
down and interview them to get the answers. Build a questionnaire to glean insights and answers to
the below information:
General Information

Intake Meeting Date, Position Description

Job Title

Department

Skills / Expertise

Culture Fit Requirements

Years of Experience Requirements

Education Requirements

Special Certification Requirements

Target Companies/Universities

Compensation

Full-Time or Part-Time Role

Salary Range or Hourly Rate

Performance

What does success look like in this role?

How will you measure or define success?

What would make the hire NOT a good fit?

Interview

Available Interview Dates

Primary Area of Focus in Interview

Timeline

Target Date to Fill

Target Date to Start

Target to Review Initial Set of Candidates