What to include in your hiring proceedures?

Most of you never went to college to take classes on hiring, so unless you have earned a degree in Human Resources, everyone needs help in this area. Most of what I know I learned by having to learn it myself while running a business, managing other's businesses and working with very good HR people over the years. Here is the short version of what you need to know.


1. Your hiring procedures need to be written down somewhere, preferably in a handbook, which we will discuss in detail in the next blog.
2. Your procedures MUST be the same for EVERY applicant, so not to come under scrutiny by the Federal Fair Practices Act.
3. That this written procedure includes the end game as well as the beginning and that you have listed reasons and procedures for employee termination (firing) as well as hiring.

This way, no unhired prospect, current or former employee can win in a law suit against you. This is not to say they can not file one, anyone can do that, but you just want to be sure they will not win and walk off with a big payday for it.

The things to state and have in your hiring procedure:

That your company’s application must be filled out in full and any omissions or discrepancies, found at any time, can be grounds for immediate dismissal.

That any attached resume becomes a part of the application and fails under the same above rules.

That even if a job offer is extended, excepted and work performed, passing of a MVR check (if they will be driving your vehicle), a background and/or drug screening must be completed and passed before the job becomes official, and not passing any part will be grounds for dismissal and only hours worked to be paid at minimum wage. (Or amount agreed upon, your call)

If a job is offered then copies of a drivers license, if they will be operating a vehicle, and any other form of ID needed to comply with the filling out of the Federal and State Tax forms will be made at that time, not when they turn in the application. Asking for copies before a job is offered and accepted is against the law in some areas and puts your business at risk for theft of applicant’s identity.


You can place an evaluation/probation period, say from 30-90 days to be sure they can perform the work, before you extend certain privileges, or final salary rate etc.. and state that a non passing performance is a valid reason for termination.

Have a preprinted form that will list all the information for the official job offer including: new hires name, address, job title, job description, hours work maybe performed, rate of pay for work including rate of overtime, length of probation period, changes that will occur at end of probation, sick time you are giving per year, time off or vacation time per year (and list of any other benefits such as use of a company truck). This should be signed by you and the new hire with a copy to both parties.

That the new hire has received and read the company handbook, initialed each page in front of a witness, have signed and dated the book to keep and returned the acceptance page also signed and dated along with the witnesses date and signature.

This may sound like over kill but believe me, the very first time you need something like this and you do not have it, may be the last time for your business.

The rest of the particulars can be spelled out in the handbook that we will review later. Tomorrow what needs to be on your company’s application?