Purpose
Fill every open role the same way: a clear brief, a fair comparison between candidates, timely replies and a clean handoff to onboarding. This procedure makes sure hiring decisions are based on criteria agreed before anyone is interviewed, and that no candidate is left without an answer.
Scope
Covers hiring employees into new or replacement roles, from the request to hire to the signed offer. It ends where the employee onboarding SOP begins. Use a lighter version for contractors and short-term help: keep the role brief, one interview and the reference check, and skip the steps marked for employees only.
Roles and responsibilities
| Role | Responsibility |
|---|---|
| Hiring manager | Owns the role brief, runs interviews, makes the hiring decision |
| HR or office manager | Runs the process: posting, scheduling, candidate replies, records, offer paperwork |
| Interviewers | Ask the agreed questions, score each candidate independently, attend the debrief |
| [Owner or budget approver] | Approves the role and the pay range, and signs off the offer |
Before you start
- Budget and pay range for the role, approved in writing by [owner or budget approver]
- A current job description, or the one used the last time the role was filled
- Access to [job boards] and [applicant tracking tool or shared spreadsheet]
- The offer letter and employment contract templates
- Your jurisdiction’s requirements for job adverts, interviews, background checks and candidate records
Procedure
- Approve the role. Hiring manager submits the reason for the hire, the pay range, the start date needed and whether it is a new or replacement role. [Owner or budget approver] approves or declines within [3 business days].
- Write the role brief. Hiring manager writes one page: what the person will be responsible for, what they should achieve in the first 90 days, the [4 to 6] must-have criteria and anything that rules a candidate out. These criteria are what every later step scores against.
- Build the scorecard and questions. Hiring manager turns the criteria into a scorecard with a [1 to 4] scale, and writes the interview questions for each one. Every candidate for the role is asked the same questions.
- Write and post the job. HR writes the advert from the role brief: responsibilities, must-haves, pay range where required or agreed, location and how to apply. Post it to [job boards], the company website and [referral channel] within [2 business days] of approval. Record the closing date.
- Acknowledge every application. HR sends [acknowledgement template] within [1 business day], stating when candidates can expect to hear back.
- Screen applications. HR or the hiring manager reviews each application against the must-have criteria only and marks it yes, maybe or no in [tracking tool]. Review at least [twice a week] while the role is open.
- Run the phone screen. HR holds a [20 minute] call with each yes: confirm interest, pay expectations, availability, right to work where applicable and the [2 or 3] must-haves that are hard to judge on paper. Record notes in [tracking tool] the same day.
- Hold structured interviews. Hiring manager and [one other interviewer] interview the shortlist of [3 to 5] candidates using the agreed questions. Where the role allows, include a short practical task based on real work, the same task for every candidate.
- Score independently. Each interviewer completes the scorecard on their own within [24 hours], before discussing the candidate with anyone.
- Debrief and decide. Interviewers meet within [2 business days] of the last interview, compare scores criterion by criterion and agree on the candidate to offer and a second choice. Hiring manager records the decision and the reasons.
- Check references. HR contacts [2] references for the chosen candidate, with their permission, using [reference question list]. Run any background checks the role requires, following your jurisdiction’s requirements. (Employees only)
- Make the offer. Hiring manager calls the candidate with the offer once [owner or budget approver] has signed it off. HR sends the written offer and contract the same day, with a reply-by date of [5 business days].
- Reply to everyone else. Once the offer is accepted in writing, HR tells every remaining candidate the outcome within [2 business days]. Interviewed candidates get a call or a personal email, not a form reply.
- Close the role. HR takes the advert down, files the scorecards, notes and decision record, and marks the role closed in [tracking tool].
- Hand over to onboarding. HR starts the employee onboarding SOP the day the signed offer comes back, so equipment, accounts and the first week are ready before the start date.
Checklist
- Role and pay range approved in writing
- Role brief written with must-have criteria
- Scorecard and interview questions agreed before any interview
- Job posted and closing date recorded
- Every application acknowledged
- Applications screened against the criteria
- Phone screens held and noted
- Structured interviews held with the same questions
- Scorecards completed independently
- Debrief held and decision recorded
- References and required checks complete
- Written offer sent and accepted
- All other candidates told the outcome
- Advert removed and records filed
- Onboarding started
Exceptions and escalation
- No suitable candidates by the closing date: Hiring manager and HR review the brief, the pay range and where the job was posted before reposting. Do not lower a must-have criterion without [owner or budget approver] agreeing.
- Offer declined: Hiring manager offers the second choice from the debrief if they met the criteria. If nobody else did, return to step 6 with the remaining applications.
- Candidate asks for more than the approved range: Hiring manager takes the request to [owner or budget approver] before answering. Do not agree to anything on the call.
- Internal candidate or referral from a team member: They go through the same steps and the same scorecard. The person who referred them does not interview or score them.
- Reference or check raises a concern: HR and the hiring manager review it together and, where your jurisdiction requires, give the candidate a chance to respond before any decision.
- Urgent hire: Steps can be done faster but none are skipped. Shorten the posting period and hold interviews on one day.
Records to keep
- Approved request, role brief and the advert as posted
- Applications, phone screen notes and completed scorecards in [tracking tool]
- Debrief decision and reasons
- Reference notes, offer letter and signed contract, moved to the employee file for the person hired
Keep candidate records only for the period your jurisdiction allows or requires, then delete them.
Review
HR and the most recent hiring manager review this SOP after every hire: which step was slowest, where candidates dropped out and which questions told you the most. Review the whole procedure every 12 months, and whenever employment rules where you hire change.