Hiring an employee entails more than just selecting the right candidate. A sound, well-planned hiring process is one that not only finds top candidates, but also effectively integrates, trains, and on-boards them so they’ll stick around for the long haul. It also ensures that internal candidates are treated properly.
Post-Offer Activities: The Oft-Forgotten Crucial Last Steps When Hiring an Employee
Conducting post-offer activities and closing out the hiring process are steps that often get lost after the new hire has been selected.
"It’s just not been as structured and as critical because now people feel relieved—they’ve got the position filled and they can get back to doing the work that they were hired to do." Mary Anne Kennedy explained in a recent BLR webinar. They make the offer and the other details can fall apart.
HR teams and staffing groups need to remember that, once hired, the selected candidate will still need to be on-boarded and integrated into the role and into the company. Additionally, internal candidates who were not selected will need to receive feedback and external candidates will need to be notified.
Post offer activities to complete the hiring process include things like:
- Completing the background checks.
- Sending the offer letter. (If offer is accepted, initiate the rest of the post-offer activities to ensure candidate care).
- Working with IT and other departments to prepare for the new hire’s arrival (i.e. get the workstation set up, get the email account created, get them into the payroll system, etc.).
- Putting together the packet of information for the new hire to complete.
- Developing an integration plan to cover activities for the first month, and completing onboarding activities. An integration plan should include a schedule of people to meet (e.g. peers, team members, direct reports, managers, stakeholder groups, the receptionist, executives, the accounting department, etc.) and areas to tour (e.g. restroom area, cafeteria, etc.). This step is a retention-builder and shows the new hire the type of organization they have joined.
- Providing the non-selected internal candidates with feedback. This is critical. The non-selected person should not find out they did not get the role by seeing the announcement of the new hire. This feedback and early notification is important for retention as well.
- Notifying the non-selected external candidates. The external candidates should be handled by HR support or the search firm who handled the hiring process. Use caution in giving any direct feedback to an external candidate so that nothing discriminatory is implied.
- Closing the job folder(s) for EEO audit purposes where applicable. Show who was selected and why, as well as why others were not selected, if required.
For more information on critical steps when hiring an employee, order the webinar recording of "The 8-Step Strategic Staffing Process: Interview, Hire, and Retain Top Talent." To register for a future webinar, visit http://catalog.blr.com/audio.
Mary Anne Kennedy is the principal consultant at MAKHR Consulting, LLC, a full-service human resources advisory firm. MAKHR Consulting provides the full spectrum of HR services and programs, including all aspects of talent acquisition – from the full cycle recruitment process to succession planning and performance management.