Crafting a great hiring process is critical to any organization looking to land top talent today. A great hiring process serves as the gateway between organizations and job seekers, allowing for a seamless selection process that benefits both parties. In this article, we will dive into an example of a hiring process and explore the steps involved in selecting the right candidate for your organization. We'll close with a hiring process example that's proven effective in finding the best fit for your team- so let's dive in!

A well-structured hiring process is key for several reasons. Number one, it's nearly impossible to improve something that isn't measured at each step. Number two, it's hard to see what's not working without having a defined process as a starting point. Finally, an effective hiring process creates transparency and consistency for both the organization and the job seeker.

So let's talk about an effective hiring process. We'll dive into the selection process steps, and build them into a hiring process flowchart that you can use to improve your own interview process. First, let's cover each step at a high level:

1. Candidate Sourcing
2. Applicant Screening
3. First Interview
4. Panel Interview
5. Assessment Interview
6. Personality Test
7. Final Interview

In general, there are 6- 7 steps in a modern interview process. Sourcing candidates, Applicant Screening, Interviews, and Testing. But the hiring process starts long before you begin looking for candidates. An effective hiring process starts with a clear understanding of the job role and requirements. This understanding leads to a well-crafted job description that informs your hiring criteria and will also create the basis for your candidate scorecard.

Selection process steps should focus on evaluating candidates’ skills, experience, and cultural fit. This means using structured interviews with open-ended interview questions to ensure fairness and objectivity in the evaluation process. Incorporating a panel of interviewers from various departments and levels can also help to provide a well-rounded evaluation of the candidate.

In addition to interviews, organizations may choose to incorporate artificial intelligence (AI), assessments, and personality tests into their hiring process. These tools can provide valuable insights on a candidate's aptitude, work style, and potential for success within the organization. One such tool is interview intelligence software. Interview intelligence is a data-driven approach to hiring that uses AI and machine learning algorithms to evaluate candidate's skills, analyze their language patterns, and predict job performance.

Now that we have covered the steps involved in a modern hiring process, let's take a look at an example of how these steps can be applied in practice.

Hiring Process Steps

In the last section, we gave you a brief overview of the hiring process steps we've seen in an effective recruitment process. A simple hiring process example would be a skilled trades example:

1. Do they have the certificate or license they need to practice?
2. Are they willing to commit to our standards and culture?
3. Do they show up and do great work?

The hiring and selection process steps should be limited to what it takes to find great employees. The longer you draw out the process, the greater your risk of losing top talent. This can also work in reverse - namely, the less you qualify, the more risk you may have in making poor hiring choices. Finding a balance is key.

To better understand each step in the hiring process, let's break it down and use a real-life example of a SaaS company looking to hire new employees. For this hiring process steps flowchart let's say that they're trying to hire salespeople and account executives.

1. Candidate Sourcing:  This is the first step in the hiring process and involves finding potential candidates through various channels such as job boards, social media, networking events, and employee referrals. In our SaaS company example, they can post job openings on relevant websites like LinkedIn or industry-specific job boards to attract qualified candidates. There are also great sales boot camps that offer well-trained candidates at starting rates.
2. Applicant Screening: Once a pool of applicants has been established, the organization will need to screen each candidate's application or resume to determine if they meet the basic qualifications for the role. This can include checking for relevant experience, education, skills, and certifications. In our SaaS company example, they may require candidates to have prior sales experience and/or a Bachelor's degree in business or related field.
3. First Interview: This is typically a phone or video interview conducted by the hiring manager to get a better understanding of the candidate's skills, experience, and interest in the role. In this step, the organization can also provide further information about the company and ask more specific questions related to the job requirements.
4. Panel Interview: Next, there may be a panel interview where multiple team members from different departments are involved in conducting a more thorough evaluation of the candidate. This allows for a well-rounded assessment and also gives the candidate an opportunity to interact with potential coworkers.
5. Assessment Interview: Depending on the role, some organizations may choose to have candidates complete assessments or presentations as part of the interview process. For our SaaS company example, they may ask sales candidates to present a demo of their selling skills or conduct a mock sales call.
6. Personality Test: This step may also be included in the hiring process, where candidates are required to complete a personality assessment to determine their fit with the organization's culture and values. The results from these tests can give further insight into a candidate's potential for success within the company.
7. Final Interview: Lastly, there will be a final interview conducted by top-level management or the CEO to determine the candidate's fit for the company culture and overall potential for success. This is an opportunity for both parties to ask any remaining questions and get a feel for each other's personalities.

Overall, there are tons of online resources for understanding hiring processes, and this is just one of many you should review before fully crafting your own. The hiring process that works for you will probably be a hybrid of several others. Take the time to review what current hiring processes look like for companies with similar roles and industries as your own and then create your own process.

Describe The Interview Process Example

Thus far, we've given some perspectives on how the steps in an interview process are critical to the overall talent strategy of the company, we've also covered each step in detail. Now, let's create an example to give a better understanding of the interview process and its importance in hiring top talent. Let's use our previous scenario and describe the interview process example for our SaaS company intending to hire salespeople and account executives.

In our hiring process example interview, the initial step would be to screen candidates. Typically conducted over the phone or via video call, this stage allows the hiring manager to evaluate the candidate's basic qualifications, interest in the role, and fit with the company culture. For instance, the hiring manager might ask about the candidate's previous sales experiences, previous achievements, and motivation for applying to the SaaS company.

Following this screening, the candidate progresses to the first interview. Usually, this is performed by a hiring manager or recruiter who's familiar with the role and the company's objectives. In this stage, the interviewer will ask more in-depth questions to assess critical competencies needed for the role such as communication skills, problem-solving abilities, and sales techniques.

The next stage is a panel interview, where multiple team members from different departments participate. As we describe the interview process example, this stage offers a holistic evaluation of a candidate by providing diverse perspectives from an entire team of interviewers. For instance, in the panel interview, one team member may focus on technical skills, while another evaluates cultural fit and communication abilities.

Next, we have the Assessment Interview. Here, the candidates are given specific tasks relevant to their job roles. This might involve presenting a sales pitch or conducting a mock sales call for sales positions. This stage assesses practical skills and helps determine how well the candidate can perform under pressure.

To add another layer of evaluation, some organizations incorporate a Personality Test in their interview process. The SaaS company might use this test to see if the candidate's values and personality traits align with the company's culture, thus reducing the risk of future alignment challenges.

The Final Interview often involves top-level management or the CEO. In our hiring process example interview, this step is pivotal in making the final decision. It allows for deeper conversations about the candidate's career aspirations and potential contributions to the company. Additionally, it provides candidates the opportunity to ask any remaining questions and better understand the company's vision and goals.

Conducting a review of hiring processes in various organizations will reveal that different companies adopt unique interview stages in different ways and fine-tune them to their specific needs. By understanding these nuances, the SaaS company example we mentioned can refine its process to attract and retain top talent efficiently.

In closing, a well-structured interview process, that includes various assessment stages, offers a comprehensive understanding of candidates and leads to better-informed hiring decisions. Interview intelligence is also a game-changer in this process. With Pillar's suite of interview intelligence tools, hiring teams can save more than 14 hours per role. Interview prep tools and Interviewer insights matched with scheduling automation create a streamlined experience, making more time to get to know your top applicants. Book your demo today!