A hiring checklist lists every step from approving a role to a new hire’s first day, with the deadlines that cannot be missed. It keeps hiring consistent and keeps the legal steps from slipping.
| Stage | Steps | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| Before posting | Approved requisition, job description, pay range | Hiring manager |
| Selecting | Same questions for all candidates, scorecards, reference checks | Interviewers |
| Offer | Written offer letter, start date, any contingencies | HR |
| Paperwork and day one | I-9, W-4, state forms, new hire report, schedule, first-week plan | HR and manager |
For the first days after the start date, continue with the employee onboarding checklist.
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A café hires a barista who starts on Monday. The employee fills in Section 1 of Form I-9 on Monday morning. The manager has until Thursday, three business days after the hire, to examine documents and complete Section 2.
Under the café’s old process, I-9s were collected whenever the owner came in, sometimes the following week. The new checklist puts the I-9 on the first-shift list, with the Thursday deadline written next to the person’s name, and the owner reviews completed I-9s every Friday. The state new hire report goes out the same Friday, well within 20 days.
Over the next 10 hires, every I-9 is completed on time. The checklist did not add work; it fixed the order.
A checklist that lives in one person’s head or one office binder does not survive growth. Keep one master template, owned by HR or the owner, and make a copy for each hire with the person’s name, start date and the actual deadline dates filled in. Store completed checklists with the hiring file so you can show later what was done and when.
Review the template once a year and after any rule change. Add steps you learned the hard way, such as checking that the schedule for week one is published before the start date, and remove steps nobody uses. A short checklist that is always followed beats a long one that is skimmed.
A retailer rehires a seasonal associate who left 8 months earlier. The manager assumes the old paperwork still counts and schedules her for a shift the next day.
The checklist has a rehire line: confirm whether a new I-9 or an update is needed, file a new W-4 if anything changed, and report the rehire to the state new hire registry. HR handles all three that week, and the store keeps a clean file for an employee it plans to bring back again next season.
Approval, job description, posting, screening, interviews, offer, background checks if used, I-9, tax forms, new hire reporting and first-day setup.
The employee completes Section 1 at the time of hire. The employer completes Section 2 within three business days of the hire.
Within 20 days of hire under federal law, or sooner if your state requires it.
HR or the owner should own the template. The hiring manager completes it for each hire.
A hiring checklist runs from approval to the start date. An onboarding checklist picks up on day one and covers the first weeks.
Yes, at least the paperwork part. New hire reporting covers rehires, and I-9 rules for rehires depend on how long the person was away.
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