Careers Succeeding at Work Human Resources Management Fundamentals in Hiring Employees How to Do Basic Human Resources Tasks and Functions in Hiring Employees Print Succeeding at Work Human Resources Management Careers Job Search Resources Hiring Best Practices Glossary Employment Law Employee Motivation Employee Management Management & Leadership Employee Benefits By Susan M. Heathfield Susan M. Heathfield Susan Heathfield is an HR and management consultant with an MS degree. She has decades of experience writing about human resources. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on 11/20/19 Want fundamental information about how to do common Human Resources activities and functions for hiring an employee? These Human Resource fundamentals provide basic information about how to do HR tasks involved in hiring an employee. Check here for the fundamentals of Human Resources management hiring. You can succeed in hiring superior employees if you follow the guidelines and tips that are included in the following articles. They present the full range of the steps that are involved in the proper hiring of employees. You can implement these steps to improve the quality of the hires you make. How to Hire an Employee Corey Jenkins/Image Source/Getty Images This checklist for how to hire an employee will help you systematize your hiring process, whether it's your first employee or one of many employees that you need to hire. This checklist for how to hire an employee helps you keep track of your recruiting efforts. This checklist communicates both the recruiting and the hiring process and your progress in recruiting to the hiring manager. Find a checklist about the fundamentals in how to hire an employee. How to Develop a Job Description Klaus Vedfelt / Getty Images Developing a job description is a fundamental Human Resources task. Develop job descriptions to help you articulate the most important outcomes you need from an employee performing a particular job. Develop job descriptions as a communication tool to tell employees the tasks they must complete. Help coworkers know where their job leaves off and the job of another employee starts with job descriptions. Here's how to develop this fundamental HR tool: job descriptions how to. How to Make a Recruiting Plan Getty Images Start your recruiting process with a plan or a planning meeting. If a group of individuals will recruit the new employee, the recruitment planning meeting approach will help all affected parties reach agreement on an employee recruitment plan. At this recruiting planning meeting, you need to follow a specific agenda and make a plan to recruit your new employee of choice. The steps agreed upon in this meeting will ensure that more than a resume and an interview are considered when you evaluate the likelihood of each candidate's success in your open job. How to Post Jobs to Find Qualified Applicants altrendo images/Stockbyte/Getty Images You can post jobs online and use the Web for recruiting. Even a job posting in the classified section of your local paper is likely to produce mostly electronic resumes and applications these days. Easily customizable, free, and paperless, why wouldn’t prospective employees apply online? You can post jobs online and reap the benefit of the many potential employees searching online for jobs. Make the online world your recruiting partner; these are the best ways to post jobs online. How to Review a Cover Letter SergeyVButorin / Getty Images When you review a resume cover letter, you gain insights about an applicant that the more formally structured and composed, often reviewed and polished, the resume cannot provide. A resume cover letter gives you insight into the applicant who is applying for your job. A resume cover letter saves you time, connects the candidate’s relevant experience to your advertised job, and provides insight into the candidate’s skills, characteristics, and experience. The factors viewed as important by your candidate are emphasized in a resume cover letter. Find out more about what to look for in a resume cover letter. How to Review a Resume Getty Images The work of resume review starts long before the resumes of potential employees fill your inbox. Reviewing a resume starts with a job description so you know what the posted job entails. In an effective job description, the details about the qualifications and experience of the candidate you seek, are clearly spelled out. This makes resume review easier, and yet challenging, as you seek a superior employee for your open position. Here's how to review a resume to select applicants for job interviews. How to Screen Applicants by Telephone Getty Images Once you've decided to interview an applicant after resume and cover letter review, take one additional step before investing employee time in on-site interviews. Telephone screen the applicant to determine if his or her credentials pass brief questioning in an initial phone review. You can also determine the applicant's salary needs and other details that may or may not qualify the individual for an interview with the interview team. The phone screen saves time and money. How and Why to Use a Job Application Zave Smith/Corbis/Getty Images Smart employers use an employment application that is filled out by every candidate for a particular job. Employers worldwide use an employment application to gather consistent data about prospective employees. While the format for resumes and cover letters changes from person-to-person, the employment application collects consistent information in a uniform format from every applicant. This helps you compare the background and work history of your candidates. Here's how and why to use a job application when the candidate arrives for his or her job interview at your company. How to Interview Potential Employees Getty Images Behavioral interviews are the best tool you have to identify candidates who will succeed at the job you are filling. You need to identify the candidate who has the behavioral traits and characteristics that you believe are necessary for success in the advertised job. This is how to interview potential employees to ensure that your selected candidate has the knowledge, skills, experience, and cultural fit needed to do the job. How to Perform Background Checks Getty Images Background checking is the process of authenticating the information supplied to a potential employer by a job applicant in his or her resume, application, and interviews. In most application processes, lying about background and credentials will keep the employer from hiring the applicant. In fact, at any stage of employment, if the employer discovers that the now employee lied during the hiring process, it is normally grounds for employment termination. Background checking ensures the employer that the candidate has the background and experience he or she claims. Find out what to check. How to Check References Cultura RM Exclusive/Frank Van Delf/ Checking job or employment references is time-consuming and frequently unsatisfactory, as many employers, despite protective legislation, refuse to offer more than dates of employment, salary history, and job title. Secondly, if you're not careful, each reference check can turn into a friendly chat during which you don't obtain the information you need to make an objective decision about hiring your candidate. As with most Human Resources processes, a standard reference checking format is useful. 7 Critical Factors to Consider Before You Make a Job Offer LWA/Photographer's Choice/Getty Images When you consider making a job offer and hiring an employee, it’s tempting to offer the job to the candidate who is most like you. The candidate feels as comfortable as a well-worn shoe. You won’t get many surprises once you make the job offer, and your gut is comfortable that your favorite candidate can do the job. Beware, beware this practice. Why does your organization need another employee just like you? Here are the seven critical factors to consider before hiring an employee and making a job offer. Use a Job Offer Letter for Your Job Offer fizkes/Getty Imges Most employers make a job offer in writing, following a verbal negotiation of compensation and other employment factors such as start date. The job offer letter or an employment contract are two common forms used to offer employees a job. Generally, the candidate has indicated that he or she will accept the position, under the stated terms, prior to the drafting of the letter or contract. Do regard the position acceptance as tentative, however, until the offer letter or employment contract, the non-compete agreement, and the confidentiality agreement, if you use them, are signed. How to Negotiate Compensation Blend Images - JGI/Jamie Gril/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images You can successfully negotiate a salary and a comprehensive benefits package that will enable your qualified candidate to accept your job offer. Depending on the responsibilities of the job, you may have leeway to negotiate. Bottom line? How badly do you want and need this candidate? If you are too needy, your negotiation strategy will quickly turn into capitulation. And, capitulation, paying more than you can afford, paying disproportionately to the pay ranges of your current employees, and paying a new employee salary and benefits outside of your comfort zone is bad for the employer and bad for the candidate.