From job post to first day: a hiring and onboarding checklist

Hiring goes wrong in the gaps: the interview feedback nobody wrote down, the offer letter with last year's salary format, the joiner who arrives to find no laptop. A checklist closes the gaps.

Before you post

• Agree the role, the reporting manager, the salary range and the interview panel.
• Write a job post that says what the person will do in the first three months, not just a list of skills.
• Publish it on your careers page and share that one link everywhere.

Interviews

1. Screen applications within a week - good candidates do not wait.
2. Use the same rounds for every candidate for the same role.
3. Each interviewer records a rating and notes the same day.
4. Decide as a panel, with the notes in front of you.

The offer

• Generate the offer letter from a template with your letterhead, so salary breakups and terms are always current.
• Let the candidate accept online and record the joining date.

Before day one (pre-boarding)

• Collect documents online: ID and address proof, PAN, education certificates, previous employment letters, bank details and a photo.
• Verify them before the joiner arrives.
• Create the employee record from the verified data - no retyping.
• Prepare the laptop, ID card and access, and assign them as assets.

The first week

• Day one: introductions, policies, the HR app installed and the first check-in done together.
• A buddy for questions.
• Onboarding tasks with owners and due dates (accounts, training, first assignment).
• A probation review date set on day one.