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A recruitment process is a step-by-step process to draw in and select a new hire to fill an opening in your organization. The process involves identifying your recruitment needs, advertising the opening, and finding the candidate whose skills, experience, and personality make them the best fit for the role.

In this 10-step recruitment guide, we’ll help you do that. We’ll cover:

1. Planning for recruitment
2. Writing job requirements
3. Writing a job posting
4. Candidate sourcing
5. Applicant screening
6. Phone interviews
7. Second interviews
8. Candidate selection
9. Writing a job offer letter
10. Writing a rejection letter

Below, you’ll find a brief overview of each step in the recruiting process. We’ll dive deeper into each topic in the individual articles dedicated to each step.

Let’s get started.

1. Planning for recruitment

Hiring great talent requires a great plan. For that reason, the first step in the recruitment process is to plan for recruitment and hiring.

To set up a recruitment plan, you need to figure out your recruitment needs. To do this, you need to identify:

• Where your org is at right now,
• Where you want to be in the future, and
• What you need to get there.

One of the most efficient ways to answer these questions is to think about them in relation to your business goals and budget. What goals does your org have — and do you have the resources to reach them? Questions like these can help you connect your business goals and budget to your recruitment needs.

When you’ve identified your recruitment needs, the next step is to make a hiring plan. This will allow you to set up a strategy to ensure an effective and fair hiring process.

2. Writing job requirements

Your org is ready to recruit. But before you can create a job posting, the second step in the recruitment process is to write your job requirements.

Job requirements, also known as job qualifications, are the most important skills, experiences, and qualities that a candidate must or should have to be considered for a role.

They’re usually written in list form and include elements such as:

• Work experience
• Hard skills / soft skills
• Education type
• Certifications,
• Language requirements

When writing job qualifications, include only the most important requirements. Be concise, and list your requirements in bullet-point format. You should also split your requirements into “must-haves” and “nice-to-haves” — this makes it easy for applicants to determine if they’re a potential match for the role.

3. Writing a job posting

Your job requirements are ready, and now it’s time for step three in the recruitment process: writing your job posting.

A job posting is a job advertisement — it needs to attract candidates and entice them to apply for the role.

Your job posting should include the following elements:

1. Job title
2. Company and culture
3. Job description
4. Perks and benefits
5. Location details
6. Contact details

When writing your job posting, make sure that all the information you include is presented in a concise, active manner that highlights all the most attractive aspects of the role and your org. When it’s time to post the job ad, make sure to explore your options — you don’t have to settle for just one online job board.

4. Candidate sourcing

In order to get the best talent on board, sometimes you have to come to them. That’s why step four of the recruitment process is candidate sourcing.

Candidate sourcing is the process of proactively searching for potential candidates to fill current and future job openings.

There are many different strategies you can use to source candidates. In this guide, we focus on five:

1. Use your talent pipeline
2. Diversify your online sourcing channels
3. Take your candidate sourcing offline
4. Source candidates through employee networks
5. Perfect your outreach efforts

With the help of these strategies, this step in the recruitment process enables you to reduce your time-to-fill and to build your talent pipeline to cover current and future hiring needs.

5. Applicant screening

Step five in the recruitment process is applicant screening: the process of reviewing candidate information prior to conducting an in-depth candidate interview.

Screening applicants typically includes:

• Reviewing resumes and applications,
• Conducting phone or video interviews, and
• Performing reference and background checks.

Before you start the screening process, revisit your job requirements and make sure that you and your team are aligned. Be mindful of unconscious bias, and be clear and transparent to provide a good candidate experience.

6. Phone interviews

The phone interview, or phone screen, is an easy, time-efficient way to get a better picture of who a candidate is and what their motivations are for applying to your org.

To ensure a successful phone screen, you should:

• Prepare your questions before the call,
• Ask open-ended questions to allow the candidate to answer in depth, and
• Ask follow-up questions to gather all the information you need to make the most informed decision after the interview.

The phone screen should give you everything you need to gauge if you want to move forward with the candidate to the next step in the recruiting process: the second interview.

7. Second interviews

The second interview is an important step in the recruitment process, as it plays a crucial role in helping you determine which candidate is the best fit for the role.

Questions for the second interview typically include a combination of three different categories of questions:

• Behavioral — questions about what the candidate did in a specific situation and why.
• Competency based — questions that help you learn more about the candidate’s skills, knowledge, and expertise.
• Hypothetical and situational — questions that help you get a sense of how the candidate would approach a situation or problem they may not have encountered before.

To prepare for this step in the recruiting process, you should revisit the candidate’s resume and your notes from the phone screen. You should also be prepared to answer questions yourself — if the candidate is serious about working for you, they’ll want to know more about your org.

8. Candidate selection

At this stage in the recruitment process, you should have a pretty good idea of what the different candidates have to offer. Now it’s time to select a candidate.

Candidate selection is typically divided into different steps, all of which we cover in our 10-step guide: sourcing, screening, first and second interviews, skill and personality assessments, making the hiring decision, and — finally — offering a candidate the role.

When selecting a candidate, you should:

• Determine your key criteria: the skills, knowledge, competencies, attributes, and qualifications the candidate needs to succeed in the role.
• Weigh up the pros and cons of each candidate — ask your employees for insights to help you with this.
• Look for a candidate who will stay long-term — they’re more likely to be worth the time and resources you invest in the recruitment process.

These steps should help you determine which candidate is the best fit for your org.

9. Writing a job offer letter

When you’ve selected your candidate, it’s time to offer them the job. Step nine in the recruitment process is all about writing a job offer letter.

A job offer letter should:

1. Congratulate the candidate on being selected for the position and welcome them to the company.
2. Briefly outline the details of employment, including the job title and a description of the role and responsibilities, salary and benefits, work hours, location, and special requirements — this is the part which the candidate must either accept or decline.

Remember to personalize the letter to the candidate and to customize it to fit your org and the role. Putting some effort into your job offer letters can not only improve your offer acceptance rate, but also increase your chances of hiring the right person.

10. Writing a rejection letter

The final step in our 10-step recruitment guide is, perhaps, the least enjoyable step: the rejection letter.

The rejection letter is an unavoidable step in the recruitment process and should be handled just as professionally as every other step. Although receiving a rejection letter can be disheartening, the letter can also help the candidate improve their skills, as well as help you establish a good reputation for your org.

When writing a rejection letter, make sure to:

• Personalize the letter and provide concrete feedback on the interview.
• Be positive and professional, and encourage the candidate in their job search.
• Maintain a positive relationship with the candidate. You never know — somewhere down the line, they might turn out to be the perfect fit for your org.

Though this final step in the recruiting process isn’t fun, we hope our guide will make it a little easier for you.

Ready to start your recruitment process?

We hope our 10-step recruitment guide helps you get the best talent on board.

An effective recruitment process is key to running a successful org. Although the process may take time and resources, one thing is for sure: It’ll all be worth it when you find that perfect new hire for your org.

Ready to get started on your recruitment process? Great! We wish you the best of luck with your recruitment efforts.

Note: Showing candidates how they fit into your org has never been more important. Want to stand out in the crowd? Set up your company page and let The Org help you attract great talent.