Hiring: Hiring Process (Step By Step)

Article Audience: Hiring Managers (Department Leaders) & team members that have been delegated hiring tasks. Note: Department Leaders are the owners of the hiring process. If tasks are delegated to team members, it is the responsibility of the DL to ensure competency to adhere to the hiring process.

Hiring Process Overview

Step 1: Pre-hire

Are you ready to post a new job opening? Please complete the form below to get HR moving in the right direction!

Step 2: Candidate Selection

Is your job posting live on the website? You can now drive the candidate selection process in the UKG Recruiting Gateway! Click the image below to watch a video orientation for the system.

From the UKG Pro menu, simply navigate to Administration > Recruiting > Recruiting Gateway. This will open UKG Recruiting in a new browser tab or window. 

**Click the image below to watch a video orientation to the UKG Recruiting Gateway.**

Application Review

Hiring Managers, and those supporting the hiring process, will receive an email notification at 8am of all new applications received the day prior. 

Now that applications are coming in, the goal is to identify the top 4 qualified candidates to move forward with interviews. The primary emphasis during this phase is on job competency - "Which candidates are most qualified to perform the essential responsibilities of the job?"

Disposition Your Applicants

Each time an application is submitted, the applicant will receive an automated email from UKG Recruiting thanking them for applying. No need to double up that communication!

As you review applications, disposition them to the proper recruiting step. 

**It is recommended to always disposition from the applicant list on the Opportunity's page, as this will occasionally offer additional features.**

Next, select a reason for the move, if one of the options in the menu is appropriate. You may also leave comments in the box available, and then click Save.

Phone Screens - optional

This is an opportunity to briefly connect with an applicant in order to ask preliminary questions regarding essential responsibilities of the job. A phone screen may help fill out your understanding of an applicant's resume as well as give you additional insight of where to press more during an interview. Phone screens should be no more than 20-30 minutes. A guide is linked below with additional recommendations. 

Are you conducting phone screens? Complete the form below to capture your notes on a candidate. A copy of the form will be emailed to the Hiring Manager for your reference!

Step 3: Interview

Once you've identified your top 4 candidates it is time to schedule interviews with your hiring team. This team is to consist of:

1. Hiring Manager
2. The supervisor for the role
3. Peer in the role or member of the department team
4. Staff member from a different team

Following the interview, each member of the interview team will submit a 5C Form to document their assessment of the candidate for the role. The form is linked below, along with other resources to support your interview team. A copy of each 5C form submitted will be automatically emailed to the Hiring Manager to support your discernment process.

Once all interviews are complete, a total of 16 forms should be submitted for the role.

Step 4: Confirm Final Candidate

Character Review

Employees of The Austin Stone possess the character qualifications of biblical leadership in the church. At a minimum, each employee must agree and aspire to maturity in these qualifications, invite the authority of church community and leaders as a means of growth in them, and pursue them humbly and faithfully by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

Character Review Interview

A character review interview should be scheduled to process the Character Review Document as it relates to your candidate's qualification for biblical leadership and the requirements of the role that they are interviewing for. Character reviews should take place with a same gender staff member, and it is wise to consider potential future team dynamics (i.e. do not ask a current team member to review their future boss). The hiring manager and/or the person conducting the character assessment should coordinate the scheduling of the assessment with the candidate.

Once the character review interview has been completed, please submit the form below:

Background Check

A completed background check is required prior to making an offer. 

Reference Checks

Properly assessing a candidate means completing reference checks including the following:

1. Personal reference
2. Peer reference
3. Supervisor reference
4. Optional: subordinate reference (for those entering a supervisory role)

Please complete the form below for each reference contacted:

Step 5: Hire & Onboard

Making an Offer

Are you ready to make an offer to your Final Candidate? Here are your next steps:

1. Confirm that all forms have been submitted (e.g. 5C, reference, character) and the background check has been requested from HR. 
2. Send a request to HR to set compensation for the candidate and make an offer.
3. HR will send the offer letter to the candidate through UKG. Hiring Managers are encouraged to call the candidate as well.
4. Once the offer is accepted, disposition remaining candidates to the appropriate decline stage (e.g. Decline, Consider for other roles) and notify those candidates in the manner that you last connected (e.g. phone call, email).
5. Complete the New Hire Form and Key Request Form for your new hire. 

Onboarding Your New Hire

Congrats, you have a new team member! You have cared well for them with clear communication throughout the interview process. Now let's continue that care through the onboarding experience. A well executed onboarding experience communicates to the new hire that they made the right choice and God has truly called them here.

Onboarding Plan

Draft a schedule for the first week on the job and share it with your new hire! The aim of week 1 is for your new team member to become familiar with the organization, your department, their coworkers, and their job. Avoid overloading them with too much information. A couple of things to include:

• HR Orientation will take place on day 1. You and the new hire will both receive a calendar invite. You do not need to attend, but please ensure that your new hire does!
• Staff photos will be taken on day 1. Please inform your new hire. 
• Benefits, Technology, and Facilities will also be scheduling orientations. If you have not heard from them, please reach out.

Computer

Is your new hire coming on in a full-time status? Click HERE to see the full Personal Computing Policy and how to submit a request to the IT department to order a computer in advance. This will ensure that it is ready when your new hire arrives! Without a computer on day 1, they may be unable to do their job.

Austin Stone employees are required to use a TAS-owned computer when working with church data and information. 

Each employee:

• Will be assigned a standard laptop that is owned and provided by The Austin Stone. The laptop will be selected, purchased, and managed by the TAS Technology Team
• Is eligible for a keyboard and mouse or trackpad issued by the Technology Team and owned by The Austin Stone
• May be eligible for standard active noise-canceling headphones at their Department Leader’s discretion. These headphones will be purchased and issued by the Technology Team and funded from the Department’s budget
• Is responsible for taking care of their assigned equipment, as good stewards of the church’s resources

Before Day 1

Please call your new hire before day 1 to let them know what to expect. Some recommended information to cover:

• What time should they arrive at the office, and where will you meet them?
• Do they know how to get to the office and where to park?
• How should they dress for working at the office?
• Will you be taking them to lunch or should they bring a lunch?
• Tell them to expect to take their staff photo.

New Hire Checklist

You and your new hire will receive a New Hire Checklist in Asana. The intention is to guide their initial orientation to general employment information. Please work through this checklist with your new hire during their first few weeks on staff. The tasks were intentionally selected as relevant for our employees. Also feel freedom to add items that are team or role specific! This is a tool for you. All checklists will be archived after 90 days.

30/60/90 Day Plan

Create a plan to orient your new hire to their new job. The first 90 days of employment are expected to be a time of learning their role, and during this time all questions are good questions. In fact, some might say that it takes the entire 1st year, one iteration of every ministry season, in order to truly own a new role. Set this expectation with your new hire.

Give your employee some quick wins to accomplish during their first 30 days, while also working toward some larger goals during the first 60 and 90 days. It is important to set clear expectations, with check points to assess progress, give feedback, and celebrate achievements. Your employee should have a clear picture of what success in their role looks like. A 30/60/90 Day Plan can be as simple as an outline in a google document or a project in Asana.