Hiring employees is a big step for your small business. Because you’re not a large corporation, you may think you can skip the employment application. Actually, there are seven important reasons to have an application for your business.
Create an Unbiased Hiring Process
Every job applicant will answer the same questions on the employment application. Its uniform format reduces bias during the hiring process and allows you to compare candidates impartially.
Rule Out Wrong Candidates
Instead of interviewing every candidate who applies, use the employment application to filter out the obvious wrong candidates. They may be the ones without the proper training or experience for the position or ones who were fired for insubordination or have a criminal record.
Eliminate Untruthful Candidates
It’s easy for job applicants to lie on a resume but not as easy to lie on an employment application. It requires applicants to sign an agreement stating that all information in the application is true and that if they fail to tell the truth or omit relevant information, they could be immediately dismissed.
Get Permission to Verify Information
Your employment application should have a space where applicants sign their name and allow you to verify the accuracy of all information, including employment history and education. Candidates should also be required to agree to background and criminal checks as well as credit and driving checks if those are requirements for the position.
Streamline the Hiring Process
Interviewing every single applicant requires hours of time and wastes valuable resources. Read employment applications and scan for specific keywords, degrees and other specifics that help you identify qualified candidates. Your streamlined hiring process saves time and money. Plus, its efficiency reduces stress and frees you from unnecessary administrative duties.
Remain Legally Compliant
You don’t want to break legal rules and ask questions on the application or in the interview that are not allowed. Set the tone with your employment application. It should not include invasive questions or ask about protected statuses such as age, race or religious view.
Prepare for Interviews
When you conduct interviews, you need to know a little bit about the applicants. This way, you are prepared during interviews to ask relevant questions. The employment application gives you clues about a candidate’s work history, career goals and personal values and helps you prepare for interviews.
Whether you provide a printed or online employment application, it’s an important part of your small business’s hiring process. After you create an application, ask your attorney to review it. You’re then ready to hire the right employees for your small business.
