Folklore

A structured hiring process for organisational efficiency and hiring success

Setting up a robust, consistent, unbiased hiring process is key to find and retain the best people.

The aim is for all candidates to leave your hiring process saying they had a good experience (and being a brand advocate), even if not successful. How to do this: a well-structured hiring process and strong communication.

Over communication throughout the hiring process, which is transparent and consistent, is key. Every candidate you interact with could be a customer or advocate for your company, whether you hire them or not. Poor (or lack of) communication can also be the reason someone chooses not to join your company.

The hiring process

There is no one size fits all hiring process. Even within the same company, hiring for different roles will look different, however having a process that is as consistent as possible across any roles is important. How this may look:

Stage 1: Write an encapsulating job advert/description that manages candidate expectations

Review the Job Advert and Description Template

Stage 2: Include a screening process in the application stage

This is your time to implement the first stage of the screening process. If you don’t have website capacity or an applicant tracking system (ATS), create a Typeform or Google Form to collect applications and integrate this into the job post on your website. Things to include/collect:

Contact details
Ask role and company related questions: screening questions are a great first round of your hiring process and ensures candidates are committed
Portfolios, coding examples etc. that help with screening
Working rights status
Notice period
If applicable, ask preference for remote, hybrid, in office or if they are happy to commit to what you expect
Collect diversity stats, ensuring candidates can select “prefer not to answer”
Ask what channel they saw your advert so you can assess what advertising channels work e.g. LinkedIn, company website, posting in networks, communities etc.
Set up an autoresponder on application to thank applicants, advise of the process, response timelines (if you’ll commit to these).

Stage 3: Post the role

On job boards, on your company website.
Share on social media: individuals will generally get more engagement than sharing on your company pages, although you can certainly do both. Therefore founders, direct managers and teammates should be encouraged to share roles. This is also a signal of growth and good for brand building. That said, if the role is sensitive, you should take the call on how far and wide you share this.
Post the role in communities that have high engagement for the types of candidate you are after, especially niche communities.
Include in your newsletter if you have one.
Share with Folklore as we will share it in our newsletter and on social media when we do a job roundup post.

Stage 4: Screen CVs for role fit

Once you have applications rolling in.

Stage 5: Interviews

Create an interview structure you can use across every role in the business. To ensure a fair and comprehensive assessment, have at least three independent assessors involved in the hiring process, minimising bias and incorporating diverse perspectives. In smaller or early-stage companies, this group may consist of founders, but involving an independent advisor is beneficial. Additionally, a diverse interview panel fosters inclusivity, particularly for candidates from underrepresented backgrounds. Transparency is key. Clearly and honestly communicate expectations of the role, challenges, and opportunities throughout the interview process. This clarity ensures a better foundation for success for both the new hire and you, and that you hire the right person.

We recommend 3-5 interview stages. This should include a case study or exercise (more details below). For example:

Interview 1, initial screen: 30 minute phone or virtual screen. Assessing high-level technical competencies, cultural fit, and alignment with key criteria. While many of these criteria are addressed in the application stage (above), this stage ensures aligned expectations on essential details such as salary expectations, notice period, anticipated leave and overall suitability for the role. Introducing these topics early in the process prevents unnecessary time wastage and ensures alignment from the outset. This screen may be with P&C, hiring manager or founder, depending on the size of the company.
Interview 2: 1 hour with hiring manager. Assessing role relatability and culture/team fit. This interview is a two-way evaluation, providing candidates with the opportunity to assess your company as much as you assess them. Allocate time for their questions and offer a clear narrative about your company’s direction, strategy, and the role itself.
Case study: a take home or live exercise to showcase a candidate's work, technical skills, approach, and thought process. This may be role dependent and needs to be tailored to roles. Key considerations of a case study:
- Live sessions: if conducted in real-time, share a Google document during the interview. Observe the candidate's coding skills based on provided instructions. Once the session concludes, promptly revoke access.
- Take-home assignments: in this case, we suggest providing candidates with a brief window (e.g. 2-3 hours or 24 hours depending on complexity) to complete the task at a time that suits them. Schedule the assignment to be sent and specify the time for its return in a non-editable format at the agreed time.
- Standardised Experience: to maintain fairness, it's crucial that each candidate for the same role undergoes the same experience. This includes receiving clear instructions and being allotted the same timeframe to complete the exercise, whether it's conducted as a live session or a take-home assignment.
- Engineering code tests: Codility, Graphic Design case study, Marketing and Communications Manager case study
Interview 3: 1 hour with hiring manager and head of department, team exec and/or founder. Case study presentation and questions to assess role related fit and assessing on alignment of personal and company values.
Interview 4: 30 minute team interview with an experienced and trusted team member. Assessing cultural add.
Interview 5: potential for a final interview with hiring manager and/or founder to dive deep into expectations of the role if any stones that are left unturned or clarity that needs to be given.
Background checks: an important thing to consider is whether you are offering pre or post background checks (including reference checks). You may want to do this all before you offer, or at offer, include in writing that the offer is pending positive background checks. This can also be included in the Employment Agreement.
Offer!

Communication in the hiring process

Rejection process and communication

Rejecting candidates thoughtfully and in a timely manner is essential for maintaining a positive company reputation and fostering a good candidate experience. When candidates are treated with respect and given constructive feedback, even in rejection, they are more likely to speak positively about the company, which enhances the employer brand. Additionally, it shows respect for the candidate’s time and effort invested in the application process, allowing them to move on quickly in their job search. It will be everyone’s least favourite part of hiring, but is important, and candidates are always grateful for honest, open and timely communication, event rejections.

Here are some rejection processes and example communications to follow when rejecting candidates at different stages of the hiring process.

Rejection pre interview: direct, tailored feedback is best, but if not scalable, a generic email with what you were assessing works.

Example rejection email: We really appreciate your time in submitting your application to our X role. After careful consideration, the hiring managers have decided not to progress at this stage. They have reviewed applications based on passion for technology and the startup ecosystem, curiosity to learn and immerse oneself in this space, ability to add to our culture in line with our values and analytical and writing skills. We thank you for your time and your interest in X (our company). If you'd like to continue to follow us and gain further experience in the above for future opportunities, please feel free to connect with us on socials. This way you can follow all that we are doing in the ecosystem and we hope we can add value to your journey. Thank you again for your interest in X (our company).

Rejection post interview: avoid generic rejection emails where you can. Nothing beats a phone call with feedback but if this isn’t scalable/feasible, aim to provide feedback via email or advise what you were assessing on, so the candidate can determine where they fell short. Personalising this communication can make a significant impact and leave a positive impression.

Rejection at final round: offer detailed feedback via a phone or virtual call, or in person if feasible and if the candidate is someone you'd like to maintain a relationship with for future opportunities. Given their strong performance in reaching the final round, you may consider them important to keep within your network or talent pipeline for potential future roles, ensuring they remain engaged with your company.

Successful candidate process and communication

Progressing successful candidates efficiently through the hiring process is crucial to maintaining momentum, minimising delays, and preventing the loss of top talent to competing opportunities.

Successful at application:

Example email: Thank you for your patience while we review applications. We are delighted to progress you to the initial stage, which will be meeting with X to discuss our business further, your journey and your motivations. If you are keen to progress, please add time to my calendar using the times available here (link Google Appointment or Calendly). Any questions, I am here to help!
Here you can add more details of your hiring process, steps to make it as transparent as possible etc. See here what Folklore attaches.

Successful post interview:

Example email: We are delighted to ask you to the next stage of the interview process. This will be to meet with X to cover X, Y and Z. Please provide your availability over the next few days week to meet at X address. This interview will be 1 hour.

Offer

As with all communication, it's essential to extend job offers promptly. Delaying offers leaves candidates uncertain and vulnerable to other opportunities, which could result in loosing top talent.

Do this by phone and be excited when offering
Don’t assume they are going to take your role/don’t have other offers – you still need to sell here
Provide feedback as to why you are offering them
Be clear and concise with the details; salary, ESOP, benefits. Have this clearly detailed before you offer
Candidates may negotiate at this stage and they may have received other offers. Only negotiate to what you can offer and what is equitable across the business
Propose or ask for a start date (although they may have to clarify once they hand in their notice)
Create the employee agreement and send this straight after the verbal acceptance
- Example email: Hi X, We are thrilled to offer you the role of X at company X. Attached is your Employment Agreement. Please review and ensure that you are comfortable with all the terms. Please then sign and return the contract and we will countersign and return to you. On completion of the Employment Agreement, I will be in touch with onboarding information. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out and we can't wait to welcome you on board.
Once they have signed, think what you can keep them engaged with while they see out their notice. Remember, they may get counter offered. Reference our Onboarding and Offboarding Employees Explainer for more details and steps to follow.

Biases in hiring

Relying on ‘gut-instinct’ to assess candidates at interview imposes the risk of bias, typically unconscious bias. You want to find someone who is right for the role, not someone who has a nice handshake or seems like you.

Here are some of the common biases that often play out in interviews, often unconsciously:

Perception bias: we believe something is typical of a particular group of people based on cultural stereotypes or assumptions
Affinity bias: we believe we have a natural connection with people who are similar to us
Halo effect: an impression created in one area influences our opinion in another areas
Confirmation bias: confirming our own opinions and pre-existing ideas about a particular group of people. ‍

Ensure you are consciously aware of these biases. To remove biases and to ensure DEI is prioritized, consider the following strategies:

Actively assess and acknowledge your own biases to understand how they may impact hiring decisions
Implement a consistent process for all candidates, including those who are referred
Ask the same set of questions to each candidate to ensure fairness
Involve a diverse panel of interviewers to provide different perspectives
Ensure all interviewers conduct independent assessments to prevent groupthink
Offer support or accommodations for candidates with disabilities by explicitly stating your willingness to do so, such as including a note in the interview confirmation email.

‍This resource, and any guidance within it, must not be relied on as legal advice. We recommend that you seek professional advice to deliver an outcome best suited to your specific situation.