Keeping your business staffed is a full-time job—except you have a million other
things on your plate, too. This leads many managers to do the bare minimum. They
throw together quick job descriptions, post them in one place, and cross their
fingers that they’ll get enough qualified candidates in the door. Spoiler: They don’t.
We want to make it as easy as possible for you to generate a steady stream of
candidates, so we’ve put together a collection of checklists you can use (and
customize) to help you stay organized and remember best practices for not only
hiring but onboarding and retaining your employees. Copy the Google template above to customize each checklist to fit your unique company needs and print it for easy access away from your computer, or save this page as a reference!
Whether you’re creating a brand new position or need to refresh an older job description,
work your way through this checklist to ensure your post is optimized to attract applicants.
*Remember, you can customize this to fit the unique needs of your business and the role by copying the Google template above.
Once you’ve optimized your job description, it’s time to get it in front of as many potential applicants as possible. Review these promotion recommendations to extend the reach of your job listing.
Your applicants have passed your screening and scheduled their interviews. What’s next? Use this checklist to make sure you’re offering the best interview experience for each candidate while also screening for the best possible employees.
Time to review your interview notes and make a job offer. Use this checklist to make sure you’re thinking critically about who to hire.
After your offer is accepted, it’s time to collect all the right forms and signatures to properly set them up for employment.
Once you’ve made an offer to a candidate and they’ve accepted, it’s time to let the other applicants know. Rejections aren’t fun, but timely communication with applicants who’ve interviewed with you is important. It shows respect and professionalism and leaves the candidate with a good impression of your business and brand. On the following pages, we’ve also included sample rejection letters you can use as starting points when crafting your own. Important: Run your rejection letters past your HR or legal team before sending them to ensure you’re following company policy.
Dear <Applicant's First Name>,
I would like to thank you for taking the time to apply for the <role title> at
<company name>. It was great to find out about your achievements, skills, and
qualifications.
There were a large number of applications for this particular role, and it was difficult
to choose between the many experienced and qualified applicants, and we regret to
inform you that you were not selected by our team to go forward.
However, we will still be keeping your details in the event that other openings arise in
future, which we believe you would be a better fit for.
Thank you once again for your interest in <company name>, and we wish you all the
best in your job search.
Best regards,
<Sender's Name>
Dear <Applicant's First Name>,
I would like to thank you for taking the time to interview for the <role title> at
<company name>. It was great to find out about your achievements, skills, and
qualifications.
We wanted to let you know that although your resume was very competitive, our hiring team reviewed your application and has chosen to proceed with another candidate as they are a better fit with the team.
However, we will keep your resume on file and get in touch with you about future
opportunities that may be a better fit for your skills and experience.
Thank you once again for your interest in <company name>, and we wish you all the
best in your job search.
Best regards,
<Sender's Name>
Dear <Applicant's First Name>,
I would like to thank you for taking the time to interview for the <role title> at
<company name>. It was great to find out about your achievements, skills, and
qualifications.
It was difficult to choose between the many experienced and qualified applicants and
we regret to inform you that you were not selected by our team to go forward, as we
have chosen to proceed with another candidate who <reason for selecting other
candidate>.
However, we were impressed with <positive aspects of candidate>, and we will still
be keeping your details in the event that other openings arise in the future, which we
believe you would be a better fit for.
Please feel free to contact me should you want detailed feedback about your
interview process, or if you chance upon other opportunities that may be of
interest to you.
Thank you once again for your interest in <company name>, and we wish you all the
best in your job search.
Best regards,
<Sender's Name>
Dear <Applicant's First Name>,
I would like to thank you for taking the time to interview for the <role title> at
<company name>. It was great to find out about your achievements, skills, and
qualifications.
We wanted to let you know that although your past work experiences and
achievements were very competitive, the hiring manager has chosen to proceed
with another candidate as <include reason why other candidate was chosen>.
However, we were impressed with <positive aspects of candidate>, and we will still
be keeping your details in the event that other openings arise in the future, which may
be a better fit for your skills and experience.
Please feel free to contact me should you want detailed feedback about your
interview process, or if you chance upon other opportunities that may be of
interest to you.
Thank you once again for your interest in <company name>, and we wish you all the
best in your job search.
Best regards,
<Sender's Name>
Checking in with your employees on a regular cadence is essential to resolving issues early and increasing retention. Performance reviews also provide an opportunity to recognize the work of high performers and give guidance to under-performers. Follow these checklists to make sure you’re ready to have productive check-ins with your team.
Keep reading to learn how to best support high-performing and under-performing team members.' ,
A little recognition goes a long way in making your employees feel appreciated and proud to work for you. Tying rewards to milestones like anniversaries or good performance reviews is a great way to ensure you’re consistently showing your team some love. But we also recommend throwing in surprises here and there to delight employees when they least expect it. And remember, recognition doesn’t always need a price tag. Work your way through this checklist to reward your team in new ways all year round.
Managers juggle a lot. But when it comes to how you manage prospective and current employees, you can never drop the ball. Each interaction is an opportunity to attract an employee to your business or reinstate an employee’s loyalty to where they work. We hope this resource helps you check all the boxes when it comes to keeping your business staffed and successful
What’s even better than a checklist to help you hire and retain hourly employees? Learn how Workstream’s all-in-one HR, hiring, and Payroll platform helps streamline HR tasks, reduce labor costs, and simplify operations.