How Do You Make the Hire?

After you've interviewed your top candidates for a job and checked their backgrounds, you must decide which one you want to hire. Use the notes that you've taken in interviews to help you.

An applicant selection criteria record is included among the Business Tools, along with an employment application form and a post-employment information form.

When you're ready to make a job offer to your top candidate. A job offer may be made orally, either in person or over the phone, or in writing. We recommend that you do it over the phone, so you get a quicker answer to the offer and so that your chosen applicant doesn't get snapped up by some other employer while your written offer is still in the mail.

No matter what the form of the job offer is, the principle is the same. Do not make promises, or statements that can be construed as promises, that you cannot or do not intend to keep. Those statements can sometimes lead to expensive litigation if you later decide to terminate the employee.

Information to include in the job offer. When a job offer is extended, it should include the following information about the job:

• the position offered
• location and working hours
• salary (although sometimes salary must be negotiated before the applicant will accept)
• benefits
• starting date
• any papers or information that should be brought on the first day of work
• a date by which the applicant must respond to your job offer, so you can move on to the next candidate if your first choice doesn't accept.

Be careful not to create an employment contract. While making a job offer is usually a positive experience, there are some areas to be mindful of and things to beware of. Don't create an employment contract with an offer.