Hiring Process

What is Hiring?

Hiring is the process of reviewing applications, selecting the right candidates to interview, test candidates, choose between candidates to make the hiring decision, and performing various tests. Selecting job applicants to interview, drafting good interview questions, and ultimately deciding which candidate to hire can be a daunting challenge. The absence of a hiring strategy also trims down the probability of finding the best candidate for a role.

Hiring and getting hired are two different concepts, therefore, understanding the meaning of these terms is vital. You should understand what is hire and how a candidate gets hired. Hire means when someone employs or pays you to do a specific task. Being hired means that you are getting paid for doing the assigned tasks. A recruiter or hiring manager usually hires job candidates.

What is the Process of Hiring Employees?

The hiring process is a critical part of the entire recruitment strategy. Before onboarding an employee, an organization goes through multiple steps. This involves screening the employees and then shortlisting the best candidates. Here is a detailed description of the steps involved in the hiring process.

1) Identify the hiring needs

It isn’t easy to develop a recruitment strategy without understanding the hiring needs. HRs should discuss the hiring requirements with the hiring managers. They should understand what skills a manager needs in the potential employees. Identifying the hiring needs become critical to help business grow and reduce employee turnover. Employees may leave the company due to retirement, resignation, or other reasons. Identifying hiring needs helps to replace departing staff and maintain a stable and productive workforce. By proactively identifying their hiring needs, companies can strategically plan their recruitment efforts, avoid talent shortages, reduce recruitment costs, and build a talented and capable workforce to drive their success.

2) Prepare a job description and publish it to different job portals

A well-crafted job description attracts the right talent for a specific position. It provides a summary of the tasks to be performed. A job description also helps in selecting and interviewing the right candidates. A job description must include:

Job Title: Clearly state the job title, which should accurately reflect the position’s role and level within the organization.

Job Summary/Objective: Provide a brief overview of the job’s purpose and its primary goals or objectives. This section should give candidates an idea of the position’s overall function.

Responsibilities: Outline the specific duties and tasks the employee will be expected to perform. Use bullet points for easy readability and clarity.

3) Review and screen received applications

Once the hiring department has received relevant applications, the next step is to review all applications carefully. This step helps in shortlisting the best candidates for different positions. Also, the hiring managers get insights into the work experience of potential employees. Keka’s ATS (Applicant Tracking System) lets you screen the right candidates. Moreover, the platform gives a sophisticated and streamlined recruitment experience.

4) Set up interviews with selected candidates

Once candidates are shortlisted, the next step is to conduct their interviews. This allows the employer to understand the skills and organizational fit of the prospective employee. Moreover, the interviewee gets a chance to learn about the organization and the work culture. In a job interview, employers assess a range of skills to determine a candidate’s suitability for the role. Commonly tested skills include technical expertise relevant to the position, effective communication, problem-solving abilities, and adaptability. Additionally, candidates’ creativity, innovation, conflict resolution, and presentation skills may be tested for specific roles. To showcase that an individual is the right fit for the organization, they should demonstrate enthusiasm, align experiences with job requirements, and showcase a willingness to learn.

5) Choose suitable candidates based on pre-determined selection criteria

Every organization follows selection criteria to hire the best employee. After carefully considering a candidate’s skills, experience, educational background, and performance in the interview process, the HRs and hiring managers should onboard candidates. After selecting the candidate for the job, promptly make a verbal offer and address their questions, particularly regarding compensation and benefits. Send a formal, written offer shortly after the conversation, specifying a deadline if the candidate needs time to decide. The offer should include a disclaimer about benefits subject to change. Some companies include the job description and an employment-at-will disclaimer with the offer. An acknowledgment line should be added for the candidate to confirm acceptance by signing and returning the offer. Always follow up with a written offer even if the verbal offer was accepted. Be cautious not to imply an annual contract with the employee by stating an annual salary.

6) Perform background & reference checks

Conducting background verifications and reference checks is one of the final steps in employee onboarding. Companies perform background checks to avoid harm or legal liability. Background checks help ensure that the information provided by the candidate during the interview is accurate and truthful. This includes validating their educational qualifications, employment history, and any other claims made on their resume or application. Moreover, background and reference checks contribute to maintaining the company’s reputation and building trust with customers and partners.

7) Onboard candidates

Once the interviewer has found the right fit for the organization, the last step is to onboard the candidates. HRs should issue an offer letter to the employees. Onboarding process typically begins after the candidate accepts the job offer and involves several key steps. First, administrative tasks such as completing paperwork and setting up benefits are handled. Next, the new hire is introduced to their team and the company culture. Training and orientation sessions provide job-related information and expectations. Regular check-ins and mentorship may be provided to address any concerns or questions. An effective onboarding process ensures a smooth transition, fosters engagement, and helps the new employee become productive quickly.

The steps mentioned above correctly answer how to hire employees. Hiring aims to choose the most competent person for a job after carefully considering their work experience, job fit, and other relevant information.

What are the Questions Asked in the Hiring Process of Employees?

During the job interview, recruiters ask technical and non-technical questions to assess candidates’ skills and domain knowledge. Some of the common questions asked during the hiring process are:

• Why should you be hired for this role?
• Why are you the best person for this job?
• What kind of work environment do you like best?
• Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
• What do you look for in a company?
• What do you look for in a job?
• What is the professional achievement you are most proud of?
• What do you like about working at your company?
• What are you looking for in a new position?
• Tell me about a time when you demonstrated leadership skills.
• Are you comfortable working in a fast-paced environment?
• What are your strengths and weaknesses?
• How do you tackle a stressful situation at your job?
• Have you managed a team? What is your management style?
• What do you like to do in your free time?
• How do you handle tight deadlines and high-pressure situations?
• Describe a time when you worked as part of a team to achieve a common goal.
• Describe a time when you handled a campaign and got negative results. How did you navigate that situation, and what learnings you got?
• What do you consider your greatest professional achievement, and why is it significant to you?
• How do you stay updated on industry trends and advancements in your field?

The interview questions also depend on the job roles a candidate has applied for. For example, if a candidate is giving an interview for the role of a content marketer, the interview questions will be related to their experience in handling different campaigns.

What is the Ideal Employee in Hiring?

When conducting the hiring drive, HRs have the right to hire and they should ensure that the right person should be selected for the right type of job. An ideal employee in the hiring process is someone who demonstrates teamwork and can be self-motivated. The qualities of good employees are:

1) Strong work ethics: Hiring managers prefer candidates who demonstrate their ability to work hard. Candidates who go beyond their responsibilities to complete a task are preferred. In a survey by CareerBuilder, 73% of hiring managers voted that they want to see job applicants demonstrate strong work ethics.

2) Dependability: During recruitment, hiring managers determine whether a candidate is committed enough to complete the assigned task within time. 73% of managers believe that candidates who show commitment during the application process will continue this behavior as employees.

3) Positive attitude: A positive attitude creates a rippling effect in a workspace. 72% of managers believe that positivity in the workplace creates a better environment for fellow employees. When screening candidates, managers look at the individual’s ability to acknowledge mistakes and take them constructively.

4) Teamwork: It is an on-demand skill as employees need to collaborate within and outside their team to do the work. Therefore, teamwork or team management is one of the crucial skills that employers look for in a potential candidate. 66% of hiring managers look for team-oriented candidates during the screening and interview process.

5) Open to learning: Learning is a never-ending process. A willingness to learn makes an employee ideal for the hiring process. They can upgrade their knowledge and skills by keeping an open approach to learning.

6) Communication: The ability to communicate openly is greatly admired in a candidate. 56% of hiring managers consider good communication skills as a green flag. As employees have to work with cross-functional teams, being able to express their thoughts is vital.

7) Self-motivation: Keeping up the morale of everyone in a team is crucial. An ideal candidate should be able to motivate themselves and those around them. 66% of hiring managers list self-motivation as a key soft skill among candidates.

8) Flexibility: When interviewing a candidate, managers want to know if they are adaptive to changes. Upskilling and changing perspectives according to the changes in the business environment are critical to thrive in a workspace. 51% of hiring managers believe candidates should be flexible and adaptable to their new work environment.

Do You Require Any HRM to Handle Employees?

Yes, using HRM software is critical in the hiring process. HR managers can use hiring software to manage recruitment hassles and make hiring in HRM effortless. The software reduces hiring costs, improves the recruiter’s experience, and helps manage the talented pool of candidates. With Keka, recruiters can manage the entire recruitment process in one go. They can create flexible hiring workflows and approval chains for requisition & interview processes in a few clicks.

In HRM, hiring means choosing the most suitable candidates for an organization. HR managers are responsible for finding the right candidate for different positions across the organization and enabling a smooth hiring process. They have to shortlist resumes, conduct interviews, and perform the background verification of potential employees. Performing these duties take time, thus lengthening the recruitment process. However, they can cut down the recruitment time by implementing Keka.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Is Staffing Similar to Hiring?

Staffing and hiring are different HR concepts. Hiring is limited to searching for eligible candidates and urging them to apply for the job opening. Staffing is a broader concept that goes beyond searching for the right employee. It includes approaching, employing, training, rewarding, and retaining employees.

What Makes a Hiring Manager Different From a Recruiter?

The roles of hiring managers and recruiters may sometimes overlap, but they have distinct purposes in an organization. The job role of a recruiter is limited to finding potential candidates, while hiring managers help employees navigate the onboarding process. However, both job roles support the screening and interview process.