ApplicantStack Blog: Hiring and Recruiting Best Practices

ApplicantStackhttps://www.applicantstack.com/ ApplicantStack: the affordable, easy-to-use Recruiting and Onboarding softwareThu, 17 Sep 2026 18:11:49 +0000en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.2https://www.applicantstack.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/favicon.icoApplicantStackhttps://www.applicantstack.com/ 3232Building a Tiered Screening Strategy by Role Risk Levelhttps://www.applicantstack.com/blog/building-a-tiered-screening-strategy-by-role-risk-level/

Wed, 23 Sep 2026 13:00:02 +0000https://www.applicantstack.com/?p=353345Guest Post by Verified First Do you screen every candidate the same way? That approach is costing you more than you think. A templated process feels efficient, but it wastes budget on low-risk roles. Worse, it under-protects your safety-sensitive ones. Most organizations don’t catch this until a compliance issue or a safety incident hits. As […]

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]]>Guest Post by Verified First

Do you screen every candidate the same way? That approach is costing you more than you think. A templated process feels efficient, but it wastes budget on low-risk roles. Worse, it under-protects your safety-sensitive ones. Most organizations don’t catch this until a compliance issue or a safety incident hits. As your hiring volume grows, that blind spot grows with it. Every role carries a different level of risk. A tiered screening strategy closes that gap. It matches the depth of each background check to a role’s actual risk and responsibilities. You save time and reduce risk exposure before it costs you.

Why One-Size-Fits-All Background Checks Fail SMB Employers

SMBs don’t have room for wasted spend or unmanaged risk, but a one-size-fits-all screening approach creates both. Every role gets the same package, whether it needs it or not.

Low-risk roles get over-screened, and that eats into a budget you can’t spare. Safety-sensitive roles get under-screened, and that risk lands squarely on you: negligent hiring liability, compliance exposure, workplace safety gaps. A larger enterprise might absorb that hit. Your organization can’t.

Ask yourself: does every position on your team really carry the same risk? If the honest answer is no, your screening process should reflect that.

What Is Risk-Tiered Background Screening?

Risk-tiered background screening matches each check to the candidate’s actual role. A flat, standard package assumes every candidate needs the same checks. A tiered approach rejects that assumption. It applies different levels of investigation based on each role’s actual risk and responsibilities.

A flat process treats a low-risk role and a high-risk role the same way. For low-risk roles, you pay for screening you don’t need. For high-risk roles, you miss checks that leave you liable down the line. The core principle: match check depth to a role’s actual risk, not its job title.

Tiered screening is becoming standard practice for growing SMBs with mixed-risk workforces, and it comes down to scalability. As your workforce grows more complex, and compliance requirements grow with it, a flat strategy can’t keep pace. A tiered approach matches scrutiny to each role’s real requirements. Automating that process removes the errors manual screening leaves behind.

How to Classify Job Roles by Risk Level

How do you determine what background check level a job needs? Start by evaluating each role against five key factors: public contact, access to vulnerable populations, financial or data access, driving duties, and supervisory authority. Use those factors to build a simple risk matrix with low, moderate, high, and safety-sensitive tiers. Auditing your existing job descriptions is the first step toward a defensible, documented classification system.

Background Check Requirements by Role Risk Tier

The right checks depend on the role, not a one-size-fits-all package. The table below shows how those risk factors map to each tier.Here’s a breakdown by risk level.

Building Customized Background Check Packages for Your Workforce

The modern hiring process is complex, with different requirements across industries and roles. A generic, one-size-fits-all screening policy leads to costly inefficiencies and real operational risk.

Not sure where to start? Here’s how to build a tiered framework into your hiring process.

• ​Start with your risk matrix. Use the low, moderate, high, and safety-sensitive tiers you’ve already mapped to group your roles.
• ​Not sure which checks each tier needs? The Verified First Employment Screening Calculator takes the guesswork out of it. Answer a few questions about a role, and it recommends screening options based on the position and best practices.
• ​Build a package for each tier. Assign the right checks to each risk level, so every role gets what it actually needs, not more, not less.
• ​Make it repeatable. Document your framework so every hiring manager applies the same standard, consistently, across each role.
• ​Automate where you can. Use the calculator alongside your ATS to keep screening decisions consistent as your hiring volume grows. A screening provider can help you implement the right automation tools to scale your screening process.

A documented, automated framework replaces ad hoc, inconsistent screening decisions- the kind that create audit and compliance risk. It balances your compliance requirements (FCRA, state and local laws) with the speed your hiring team needs, so you make faster, more informed decisions at every tier.

How Tiered Screening Reduces Time-to-Hire and Onboarding Delays

Tiered screening doesn’t add steps to your hiring process. It routes each candidate through the checks their role actually needs. This approach can reduce your time-to-hire. Low-risk candidates move through quickly. High-risk roles stay fully protected, without slowing down your pipeline.

Connecting your screening process to your onboarding and scheduling workflows speeds up time-to-hire even further, without adding risk. Faster time-to-hire means lower costs and faster onboarding, saving you both time and resources.

Getting Started: A Practical First Step Toward Tiered Screening

If you’re not sure where to start with tiered screening, you’re not alone. Start by auditing your current open roles and identifying the risk level and key risk factors for each one. Sort those roles into a risk-tier matrix to identify the right level of screening per role.

Ask these questions when evaluating whether a role needs enhanced screening:

• ​Does this role involve public contact or access to vulnerable populations?
• ​Does this role have financial, data, or asset access?
• ​Does this role include driving duties or supervisory authority?

You don’t have to build this alone. Work with a dedicated screening partner to build scalable, role-based packages instead of starting from scratch. Verified First offers customized background check packages aligned to your job roles, industry regulations, and risk tolerance. You only pay for the searches you need, cutting wasted spend and streamlining your hiring workflow. Verified First integrates directly with Swipeclock’s WorkforceHub and ApplicantStack platforms, so you can order and manage background screenings without leaving your HR software.

Talk to a Verified First screening expert and build a role-based package that works right inside the solutions you use for hiring.

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]]>How to Reduce Time-to-Hire Effectivelyhttps://www.applicantstack.com/blog/how-to-reduce-time-to-hire-effectively/

Wed, 16 Sep 2026 13:00:40 +0000https://www.applicantstack.com/?p=353339Shortening time-to-hire reduces the burden on hiring staff and helps you reach top talent faster. Small businesses can use any help they can get to make the hiring process more efficient.  An applicant tracking system shortens time-to-hire by automating screening, scheduling, and offer letters, cutting out the manual steps that create the biggest bottlenecks for […]

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]]>Shortening time-to-hire reduces the burden on hiring staff and helps you reach top talent faster. Small businesses can use any help they can get to make the hiring process more efficient.

An applicant tracking system shortens time-to-hire by automating screening, scheduling, and offer letters, cutting out the manual steps that create the biggest bottlenecks for small businesses. Read on to see how ApplicantStack does this at each stage of hiring.

What is Time-to-Hire?

Time-to-hire is a candidate-focused HR metric that measures the days from when a candidate applies to an open position to when your company extends an offer. It can be a useful metric for analyzing your hiring process, especially when you compare it to similar-sized companies in your industry. A time-to-hire longer than 44 days often signals bottlenecks in screening or interview scheduling.

A short time-to-hire, on the other hand, may reveal that an overly narrow vetting process results in missing promising candidates. Ideally, the time-to-hire period is efficient while still allowing you to screen and interview the best possible talent in the pool.

What Are the Stages of the Hiring Workflow?

The hiring workflow has five common stages: job requisition, job posting, screening, interviewing, and extending an offer. Each company handles the details differently, but the sequence stays the same. Prospective employees will likely be familiar with the steps and be prepared to engage with each part of the process as it comes.

As you move through the workflow, consider how an ATS like ApplicantStack can help your company improve each step of hiring, benefiting both the company and the candidate.

Step 1: Job Requisition

This is when the company identifies a need, either by creating a new position or when an existing position becomes available. Department heads may seek approval from HR or upper management to open the position to the hiring pool.

ApplicantStack Solution: Creating the position in ApplicantStack from the start keeps all future communication within the software, with action items, approvals, and required details in one organized spot accessible to each member of the hiring team.

Step 2: Job Posting

Once the position is approved, you’ll write or edit the job description, including all relevant details (salary, working location, start date, etc.), and send it to a recruiter or post it on the most commonly used job sites.

ApplicantStack Solution: The software keeps a record of past job descriptions for existing jobs for easy editing and updating, or you can draft your new description inside for others to review. Once you reach the final draft, ApplicantStack can post to the most common sites for you.

Step 3: Screening

Screening can be the most time-consuming part of the process, especially for entry- or mid-level jobs. During this phase, the hiring committee reviews resumes, cover letters, or applications to select candidates with the right education and experience for the posted role.

ApplicantStack Solution: For each open position, you can set up screening parameters like education level or keywords describing experience that automatically accept or reject candidates. You can set the granularity of the parameters, and it may vary from position to position. The software creates a file for each candidate, with the job they applied for and their status available at a glance. This can be helpful to refer back to if you find a candidate may be right for a role other than the one they initially applied for.

Step 4: Interviewing

Interviewing is when you invite screened candidates to meet with the hiring team. You may set up interview stages, such as a phone interview or a remote video interview, to further vet the candidate pool before an in-person visit with more members of the hiring committee. Interviews may be traditional, with questions about job experience or working style. Alternative interview strategies may ask candidates to do a presentation, demonstrate technical ability, or participate in a role-play.

ApplicantStack Solution: Scheduling interviews can be a bottleneck, with lots of back and forth regarding availability of both candidates and hiring staffers. ApplicantStack lets candidates choose how they prefer to be contacted, making them more likely to respond quickly. Pre-formatted contact scripts make it easy to customize communication to your company’s needs. Each member of the hiring team can see their action items regarding scheduling and communication on the home page, so nothing gets lost deep in an inbox on a Friday afternoon.

Step 5: Extending an Offer

Once you’ve screened, interviewed, and chosen the best talent from the candidate pool, you should extend a formal offer, which includes all the relevant details about the job, like expected working hours and location, salary, PTO, and benefits in writing. This gives the candidate time to review it at their convenience and reduces the likelihood of confusion and miscommunication.

ApplicantStack Solution: For each job in your company, you can create a job offer letter from the available templates. You can customize it with your logo and important company information. Include merge fields for changing data, and it’s easy to fill in with relevant job and candidate details. Once a candidate accepts the job, ApplicantStack can easily transition them to employee and start them on the HR and onboarding journey.

Once a job is filled, review your ApplicantStack reports to see exactly where the process slowed down, then adjust that stage before your next requisition opens. Implementing the right solution streamlines hiring. Start your free trial of ApplicantStack today.

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]]>Seasonal Hiring Playbook: Scaling Your Workforce for Q4https://www.applicantstack.com/blog/seasonal-hiring-playbook-scaling-your-workforce-for-q4/

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 13:00:52 +0000https://www.applicantstack.com/?p=353335Q4 tends to hit hiring teams like a freight train. Retail ramps up for the holidays, e-commerce warehouses struggle to keep pace with order volume, and hospitality prepares for back-to-back events. If your applicant pipeline isn’t ready for that surge, you may end up losing out on great candidates and revenue. Here are six steps […]

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]]>Q4 tends to hit hiring teams like a freight train. Retail ramps up for the holidays, e-commerce warehouses struggle to keep pace with order volume, and hospitality prepares for back-to-back events. If your applicant pipeline isn’t ready for that surge, you may end up losing out on great candidates and revenue.

Here are six steps to build a seasonal hiring process that scales without falling apart under pressure.

1. Start Earlier Than You Think

Most seasonal hiring failures trace back to one mistake: starting too late. If your Q4 rush begins in November, your recruiting push needs to start in September. Seasonal candidates, including students, gig workers, and retirees supplementing income, have options. The employers who post first get first pick.

Build a hiring calendar that backs into your peak dates. Map out:

• ​When you need seasonal staff fully onboarded and trained
• ​How long your average time-to-hire has run in past seasons
• ​Buffer time for background checks, drug screens, or other compliance steps

2. Simplify the Application Before Volume Hits

Seasonal candidates won’t tolerate a 45-minute application for a six-week job. Every extra field you require is a candidate who abandons the process and applies somewhere else instead. Strip your seasonal job applications down to the essentials. Mobile-friendly, short-form applications consistently outperform lengthy ones for high-volume, high-turnover roles — this is the population most likely to be applying from a phone in a parking lot between shifts.

3. Automate the Screening Bottleneck

When 200 applications land in a weekend, manual resume review becomes a backlog. Automated screening questions, knockout criteria, and applicant tracking workflows let your team focus attention on qualified candidates instead of sorting through everyone. This is where the right ATS earns its keep: pre-built screening questions, automatic disqualification rules for hard requirements (availability, certifications, background check consent), and instant candidate ranking so hiring managers see the best-fit applicants first.

4. Build a Talent Pool, Not Just a Hiring Sprint

The best seasonal hiring strategy doesn’t start from zero every year. Keep a talent pool of former seasonal employees who performed well, tag them for rehire, and reach out before you even open public postings. Rehired seasonal workers ramp up faster, need less training, and already know your systems and culture.

If last season’s top performers aren’t hearing from you until after you’ve posted publicly, you’re leaving your fastest, cheapest hires on the table.

5. Compress Onboarding Without Cutting Corners

Seasonal hires often need to be productive within days, not weeks. That means onboarding has to be fast, but fast doesn’t mean sloppy. Digital onboarding (e-signatures, pre-filled forms, self-service paperwork) shrinks admin time without skipping compliance steps like I-9 verification or required policy acknowledgments. The goal is a new hire who walks in on day one ready to work, rather than spending time filling out paperwork in a back office.

6. Track the Metrics for Next Year

Once the season ends, don’t just move on. Capture:

• ​Time-to-fill for seasonal roles vs. year-round roles
• ​Offer-acceptance rate and where candidates dropped off
• ​Retention through the full seasonal period
• ​Rehire eligibility and conversion-to-permanent rates

This data turns next year’s Q4 scramble into a repeatable, improving process instead of another fire drill.

Ready to Build a Q4-Proof Hiring Process?

Seasonal hiring doesn’t have to mean chaos. With an earlier start, a streamlined application, automated screening, a maintained talent pool, and fast digital onboarding, you can scale your workforce for Q4 without scaling your stress.

ApplicantStack gives you the tools to handle seasonal hiring without the chaos, including mobile-friendly applications candidates can finish in minutes, automated screening that surfaces your best-fit applicants first, a searchable talent pool for fast rehire outreach, and digital onboarding that gets new hires working on day one instead of buried in paperwork. Start your free ApplicantStack trial today and walk into Q4 with a hiring process that scales as fast as your business does.

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]]>All About the AI Application Flood: How Small HR Teams Can Keep Uphttps://www.applicantstack.com/blog/all-about-the-ai-application-flood-how-small-hr-teams-can-keep-up/

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 13:00:15 +0000https://www.applicantstack.com/?p=353332If your open roles are pulling in three or four times the applications they did two years ago, you’re not imagining it. AI writing tools have made it easier than ever for job seekers to customize a resume and cover letter for every posting in seconds. “Apply to everything” browser extensions allow candidates to blast […]

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]]>If your open roles are pulling in three or four times the applications they did two years ago, you’re not imagining it. AI writing tools have made it easier than ever for job seekers to customize a resume and cover letter for every posting in seconds. “Apply to everything” browser extensions allow candidates to blast applications across dozens of job boards with a single click. The result is hiring managers at small and mid-sized companies drowning in volume, and a shrinking share of those applications come from people who are genuinely qualified.

This situation isn’t a reason to panic. Instead, it’s a reason to get more deliberate about how you screen. Here’s what’s actually working for recruiters and hiring managers today.

Stop Reading Resumes as a First Pass

When resumes are AI-polished, they start to look eerily similar. Keywords match the job description a little too perfectly, and every candidate suddenly has “led cross-functional initiatives” on their resume. Trying to manually determine quality differences at this stage is a losing game.

Instead, push your first filter to structured, job-specific screening questions built into your application. These shouldn’t be generic yes/no gates, but rather two or three questions that require a real, specific answer only someone with the actual experience could give.

Example: “Describe a time you had to resolve a scheduling conflict between two departments.” A question like this will yield different answers than a more generic question like, “Do you have 3+ years of experience?”  AI can help a candidate draft an answer, but it can’t fabricate a believable specific example out of nothing nearly as convincingly.

Let Your ATS Do the Sorting

A flood of applicants is the problem applicant tracking systems were built to solve, and it’s more important to rely on this type of system now than it was even a few years ago. If you’re still manually scanning a shared inbox or a spreadsheet of applicants, the volume can quickly bury you. Centralizing every application in one system lets you filter by screening question responses, tag candidates by qualification tier, and move the clearly-unqualified into a “no” pipeline in bulk, instead of opening 200 individual resumes.

The teams handling this well are typically using their ATS to automate the early stages that don’t require human judgment. The humans on the team can spend their limited time on the 15 or 20 candidates who are actually worth a real look.

Verify Before the Interview

A growing number of hiring teams are adding a short video question or a live 10-minute phone screen before a full interview. This step helps to confirm that the person who applied is who they say they are and can speak to their own experience in real time. Taking this step isn’t about distrust of AI tools in general, but rather a direct response to reports of candidates using real-time AI assistance during video interviews, or having someone else entirely show up to the call. A quick, low-friction verification step earlier in the funnel saves everyone the cost of a full interview later.

Reset Expectations Around Response Time

More applications per role also means candidates are applying to more roles per week, and they’re not waiting around. If your process still assumes a one-week turnaround between application and first outreach, you’re likely losing strong candidates to a competitor who moved faster. Automated status updates and scheduling links — sent the moment a candidate clears your first screen — keep good people warm without adding to your team’s workload.

Manage the Application Flood with ApplicantStack

The volume of applications likely won’t be going back down, and trying to out-hustle it with more manual review isn’t sustainable for a lean HR team. The companies adapting well are the ones automating the sorting, tightening their screening questions to surface real signal, and adding a light verification step before investing interview time. All of these shifts require a system built to handle the volume you’re getting today.

If your current process is still resume-pile-and-review, this is a good moment to rebuild it around structured questions and centralized screening rather than sheer reviewer effort. ApplicantStack is a modern ATS that includes tools for the recruiting and hiring process, along with onboarding and candidate management. Get started today and say goodbye to the stress of an onslaught of applications for an open role.

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]]>Candidate Ghosting: Why It’s Happening and How ATS Data Can Help Prevent Ithttps://www.applicantstack.com/blog/candidate-ghosting-why-its-happening-and-how-ats-data-can-help-prevent-it/

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 13:00:26 +0000https://www.applicantstack.com/?p=353327The hiring process takes time and money, both of which can be tight in small business budgets. When a candidate ghosts you at any stage, it can be demoralizing and expensive. Here are some ways to keep communication flowing to avoid being abandoned by quality prospects. What Is Candidate Ghosting? Ghosting refers to a scenario […]

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]]>The hiring process takes time and money, both of which can be tight in small business budgets. When a candidate ghosts you at any stage, it can be demoralizing and expensive. Here are some ways to keep communication flowing to avoid being abandoned by quality prospects.

What Is Candidate Ghosting?

Ghosting refers to a scenario where a candidate who seemed interested in an open position stops responding to any communication. It may happen at any stage of the hiring process, and you may never know the reason. The best-case scenario is a dropout during initial scheduling, but some companies report new hires never showing up for the first day without any explanation. Ghosting forces you to backtrack and consider other candidates who may no longer be available, which can be frustrating and costly.

Why Are Candidates Ghosting Companies?

“Boiled down,” says Roy Maurer of SHRM, “the cause of candidate ghosting is a failure to communicate.”

While your company may be busy with other tasks during the hiring process, job searchers are focused on finding a job. They can and will compare their experience from one company to the next. What may feel like a quick turnaround to you may feel like long gaps to the candidates. A company that updates candidates at each step of the process may earn their trust in a way that prevents ghosting on your end.

Job searching is time-consuming and stressful. According to a survey conducted by Robert Half International, candidates cited the top three reasons for ghosting a company:

• ​The interview process was poor: 33%
• ​They received another job offer: 29%
• ​The job was not what they expected: 23%

Though you can’t control every candidate’s experience at every step, you can scrutinize your process to discover where there might be breakdowns in communication.

Interview Process

• ​How long does it take for your company to schedule a promised interview?
• ​How long do candidates wait between first and second interviews?
• ​Is the scheduling process simple and intuitive, or does it require multiple emails or phone calls?

Candidate Received Another Offer

• ​Is there ever confusion about where a candidate stands after interviews?
• ​Are they waiting on you to make an official offer?
• ​Is your company’s offer process confusing?

The Job Was Not What They Expected

• ​Did you communicate salary or benefits poorly, or make a last-minute salary adjustment?
• ​Was there confusion about remote or in-person status? Work hours or schedules?
• ​Did the candidate misunderstand some of their required tasks and responsibilities?
• ​Did you deliberately withhold vital information until late in the process?

Thoughtful analysis of your company policies and practices may yield some answers about why candidates have ghosted you. Consider surveying recent successful hires to identify where you can improve your hiring process. Use their candid responses to improve the experience for future job candidates.

How Automated Solutions Can Help with Candidate Ghosting

Roy Maurer at SHRM suggests that you “treat your potential hires as VIPs. Consistently engage with them, keep them informed about their job applications, and most importantly, make them feel valued.” If you can’t imagine where you will find the hours in the day to increase your candidate communication, consider how an ATS like ApplicantStack can help.

To start, ApplicantStack provides a well-organized framework for each member of the hiring team. Candidates and their positions in the hiring process appear at a glance, along with pending tasks and who needs to complete them. You can see which candidates haven’t responded to pending steps and send a gentle nudge, all from within the ATS so the steps are instantly recorded on the candidate’s record.

Automated responses can keep candidates informed about their place in the process, and they’re especially helpful when you provide timelines for upcoming steps. A message that says, “HR is reviewing your application. You can expect a response within three days,” followed by a message that meets the deadline instills confidence that your company prioritizes communication. Timelines help candidates plan and organize their job search. They are likely to prioritize communication with a company that meets deadlines and lets them know whether they’re moving forward or no longer being considered.

ApplicantStack lets candidates choose their preferred communication method, so someone who prefers text messages won’t miss emails or phone calls. Your company can respond within the ATS, so you always have a record of what’s been sent and when.

Small business employees wear many hats, and it can be difficult to prioritize communication with every applicant when so many other tasks demand your attention. With the aid of an ATS, you can develop good relationships with quality job seekers and avoid candidate ghosting.

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]]>Onboarding Checklist: Turning New Hires into Long-Term Employeeshttps://www.applicantstack.com/blog/onboarding-checklist-turning-new-hires-into-long-term-employees/

Wed, 19 Aug 2026 13:00:46 +0000https://www.applicantstack.com/?p=353313Hiring new employees is no small task: it takes hours of company time and money to recruit, interview, and select top talent. Once you’ve got a new employee on board, you want to turn that hiring investment into a good experience for both of you. That’s where onboarding comes in. Read on for some effective […]

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]]>Hiring new employees is no small task: it takes hours of company time and money to recruit, interview, and select top talent. Once you’ve got a new employee on board, you want to turn that hiring investment into a good experience for both of you. That’s where onboarding comes in. Read on for some effective onboarding practices that can ease the transition and boost retention.

What Is Onboarding?

Onboarding is a series of events that introduce a new hire to company policies, culture, colleagues, managers, tasks, responsibilities, and give a detailed overview of the benefits and perks of their new job.

More than a single day of introductions, it’s an ongoing process that lasts weeks or even months and helps a new employee feel integrated and comfortable.

How Onboarding Serves Individuals

A Gallup poll found that “only 12% of employees strongly agree that their organization does a great job onboarding new employees.”

Small businesses hiring new workers can be stretched thin, with existing employees covering open positions. Adding another set of tasks may feel like too much and fall by the wayside. The most effective onboarding programs are well organized and include clear markers and milestones to reduce confusion and simplify administration.

Employees who leave within the first 18 months of employment can be a huge disruption to the productivity you set out to achieve with your new hire, not to mention the human and monetary cost of starting over with the hiring process. Thoughtful onboarding is one of the most effective ways to guard against low retention rates.

“Employees feel an onboarding experience is negative when it’s incomplete, outdated, or purely focused on process,” says recruitment specialist Bryan Lake. “An isolating onboarding experience leads them to consider leaving the company earlier than expected. A sense of belonging is key to retention and onboarding is the best time to make new hires feel connected to a company’s objectives.”

New hires come into a job with a variety of emotions: excitement, fear, hesitation, ambition, apprehension, and more. They have likely left another job or returned to the job market after some time away. They’ve considered their options and found your company to best match their goals. They’ve spoken with all members of the hiring team, who have likely been welcoming and enthusiastic. The challenge for every organization is to channel all these feelings into confidence, productivity, and collaboration in the new role. Effective onboarding offers a slow and steady introduction to the new workplace, with support at every step.

90-Day Checklist

A 90-day onboarding checklist gives managers and new employees concrete milestones and metrics, reducing anxiety about immediate expectations. The new hire’s experience level and training for the job will determine the specific tasks, but in general you can use the following concepts to set up an onboarding program that works for your company:

The First 30 Days

This period is focused on learning and orientation for employees. They should:

• ​Complete all required legal and company forms
• ​Review company mission, values, and policies
• ​Complete any required training or orientation modules
• ​Connect with a trainer, mentor, or onboarding buddy as the first point of contact for questions or clarifications
• ​Create logins for time clocks or company portals
• ​Receive technology or uniforms required for their jobs

The First 60 Days

This period focuses on applying training and further understanding their new role. They should:

• ​Take over key responsibilities of the role
• ​Actively participate in team meetings
• ​Be assigned tasks in collaborative projects
• ​Receive feedback for each completed task
• ​Take advantage of open-door policies for questions or concerns
• ​Feel professional relationships developing with team members
• ​Use their point of contact for checking in and evaluation

The First 90 Days

The last phase of onboarding sees more independence and productivity from the new employee. They should:

• ​Produce work more independently
• ​Demonstrate their understanding of tasks and responsibilities
• ​Contribute ideas to projects
• ​Identify and discuss their professional goals with managers
• ​Discuss concerns or problems integrating with the team or supervisors
• ​Continue to receive feedback from supervisors

Download our free onboarding checklist here!

How ApplicantStack Can Help

ApplicantStack provides a seamless transition from applicant to potential candidate to new hire, with an organized onboarding module that supports Human Resources, trainers, managers, and new hires. It pays to be precise in keeping employee records from day one, and ApplicantStack securely gathers and stores all relevant personnel data with easy access. New employees can upload tax and other required documents for a seamless transition to payroll and HR. It acts as the central hub for orientation packets and questionnaires, with clear status indicators and reminder options.

Organization is key to an onboarding program everyone can commit to long term. Keeping a checklist in front of key players ensures the busyness of daily life doesn’t get in the way of helping new hires feel supported and like a valued part of the company mission.

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]]>Exit Interview Questions That Get Honest Answers (And a Checklist)https://www.applicantstack.com/blog/exit-interview-questions-that-get-honest-answers/

Tue, 11 Aug 2026 13:00:46 +0000https://www.applicantstack.com/?p=353045When someone walks out your office door for the last time, they’re taking valuable insights with them. The question is: will you capture those insights before they’re gone forever? An exit interview represents one of the most underutilized opportunities in business. Done right, it can reveal blind spots in your management, uncover systemic issues, and […]

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]]>When someone walks out your office door for the last time, they’re taking valuable insights with them. The question is: will you capture those insights before they’re gone forever? An exit interview represents one of the most underutilized opportunities in business. Done right, it can reveal blind spots in your management, uncover systemic issues, and help you retain future talent.

This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about exit interviews, from understanding their true purpose to crafting questions that encourage honest, actionable feedback.

What Is an Exit Interview?

An exit interview is a structured conversation between an employer and an employee who’s leaving the organization. It typically happens during the employee’s final days or weeks on the job.

Exit interviews can take several forms:

• ​Face-to-face meetings with HR or a manager
• ​Phone calls conducted by an external party
• ​Online surveys or questionnaires
• ​A combination of written and verbal formats

The format matters less than the approach. What counts is creating an environment where departing employees feel comfortable sharing honest feedback.

Why Exit Interviews Matter More Than You Think

Up to 39% of companies skip exit interviews, but doing so can leave valuable information on the table.

The companies that do perform them often treat exit interviews like a formality. They ask a few generic questions, nod politely, and file the responses away. That’s a missed opportunity.

Here’s why exit interviews deserve your attention:

• ​They reveal hidden problems: Current employees often hesitate to speak up about workplace issues. They worry about retaliation, career impact, or being labeled as complainers. Departing employees have less to lose and more to gain by being honest.
• ​They provide competitive intelligence: When employees leave for competitors, they can offer insights into what other companies are doing better. Maybe they’re offering better benefits, more flexible work arrangements, or clearer advancement paths. This information helps you stay competitive in the talent market. You can’t match every offer, but you can identify patterns and address systemic disadvantages.
• ​They validate or challenge assumptions: Leadership teams often operate with assumptions about what employees value most. Exit interviews test these assumptions against reality. You might assume people leave for more money, only to discover they’re actually leaving because of poor work-life balance or lack of recognition. These insights can reshape your retention strategy.
• ​They demonstrate that you care: Even when an employee is leaving, how you handle their departure affects your reputation. A thoughtful exit interview shows you value feedback and are committed to improvement.

Get started with our free exit interview checklist.

Essential Exit Interview Questions to Ask

The key to effective exit interviews is asking the right questions in the right way. Here are the questions that tend to generate the most valuable insights:

Understanding the Departure Decision

• ​What initially prompted you to start looking for other opportunities?
• ​Was there a specific moment or event that solidified your decision to leave?
• ​What could we have done differently to retain you?

Evaluating the Work Environment

• ​How would you describe the culture of your team/department?
• ​Did you feel your contributions were recognized and valued?
• ​How would you rate the communication within your team and with leadership?

Assessing Management and Leadership

• ​What did your manager do well, and what could they have done better?
• ​Did you feel comfortable approaching your manager with concerns or ideas?
• ​How would you describe the decision-making process in your role/team?

Exploring Growth and Development

• ​Did you feel you had opportunities for professional growth here?
• ​What skills did you want to develop that you couldn’t develop here?
• ​How did you envision your career progressing if you had stayed?

Understanding Job Satisfaction

• ​What aspects of your job did you enjoy most?
• ​What parts of your role were most frustrating or challenging?
• ​How manageable was your workload?

Gathering Improvement Suggestions

• ​What would you change about this organization if you could?
• ​Would you recommend this company as a place to work? Why or why not?
• ​If you were in charge of improving employee retention, what would be your top three priorities?

How to Conduct Exit Interviews Effectively

Having good questions is only part of the equation. How you conduct the interview matters just as much. These considerations can help ensure that you’re making the most of the opportunity.

Time it Properly

Schedule the exit interview during the employee’s final week, but not on their last day. They should have enough distance to be reflective, but not so much that they’re checked out.

Provide advance notice about the interview and share some of the questions beforehand to allow them to think about their responses.

Choose the Right Interviewer

The interviewer shouldn’t be the departing employee’s direct manager, as this creates too much potential for conflict or discomfort. Options include:

• ​HR representatives
• ​Senior leaders from other departments
• ​External consultants or services

The key is choosing someone who can remain neutral and professional.

Create a Safe Environment

Start by explaining the purpose of the interview and how the feedback will be used. Assure them that their responses will be kept confidential and won’t affect their reference or final employment records.

Be genuinely curious, not defensive. When they share criticism, respond with questions like “Can you give me an example?” or “What would improvement look like?” rather than explanations or justifications.

Document and Follow Up

Take detailed notes during the interview. Some companies also provide a summary to the departing employee to ensure accuracy.

Most importantly, act on the feedback. If multiple people mention the same issue, it’s probably worth addressing. Share anonymous insights with relevant managers and track what changes you make as a result.

Download our free exit interview checklist now!

Common Exit Interview Mistakes to Avoid

Even well-intentioned exit interviews can go wrong. Here are the most common pitfalls:

• ​Making it about you: Don’t use the exit interview to defend your company or convince the person to stay. That ship has sailed. Your job is to listen and learn.
• ​Asking leading questions: Examples like “You didn’t leave because of your manager, did you?” suggest the answer you want to hear. Stick to neutral, open-ended questions.
• ​Focusing only on negatives: While it’s important to understand problems, don’t forget to ask what’s working well. This helps you preserve positive aspects of the employee experience.
• ​Failing to follow up: If you don’t act on feedback, employees will notice. Word spreads quickly when exit interviews are just for show.
• ​Waiting too long: Don’t wait until someone’s mentally checked out to have this conversation. By then, they may not be willing to invest the time and energy needed for meaningful feedback.

Turning Feedback Into Action

The best exit interview in the world isn’t worth much if you don’t act on the insights. Here’s how to turn feedback into meaningful change.

Look for Patterns

One person’s complaint might be an isolated issue. Three people mentioning the same problem suggests a systemic issue worth addressing.

Prioritize Based on Impact

Not all feedback is equally important. Focus on issues that affect retention, productivity, or employee satisfaction broadly.

Communicate Changes

When you make changes based on exit interview feedback, let your team know. This shows that you take feedback seriously and are committed to improvement.

Track Results

Monitor key metrics like turnover rates, employee satisfaction scores, and retention by department. This helps you understand if your changes are working.

Making Exit Interviews Part of Your Culture

Exit interviews shouldn’t be an afterthought. They should be part of a broader commitment to continuous improvement and employee feedback. Also, sharing insights from exit interviews (without identifying individuals) with your management team helps managers understand common issues and improve their approach.

Remember, the goal isn’t to prevent all turnover. Some departures are inevitable and even healthy. The goal is to understand why people leave and make improvements that benefit everyone who stays. Your next departing employee is sitting on information that could transform your workplace. The question is: are you ready to listen?

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]]>How to Build a Hiring Process From Scratchhttps://www.applicantstack.com/blog/how-to-build-a-hiring-process-from-scratch/

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 13:00:52 +0000https://www.applicantstack.com/?p=353303Building an effective hiring process from scratch involves identifying your company’s needs and setting a path to find quality applicants. By examining past hiring practices and implementing new strategies, you can build a more efficient process. Read on for some ways to create a hiring process that gets results. Primary Elements of the Hiring Process […]

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]]>Building an effective hiring process from scratch involves identifying your company’s needs and setting a path to find quality applicants. By examining past hiring practices and implementing new strategies, you can build a more efficient process. Read on for some ways to create a hiring process that gets results.

Primary Elements of the Hiring Process

There are three main aspects of the hiring process, with several steps under each umbrella. Take a closer look at the big picture:

Step 1: Recruiting

• ​Reach out to existing networks
• ​Gather referrals from existing employees
• ​Consider internal promotions
• ​Develop a talent pipeline
• ​Post on job boards

Step 2: Hiring

• ​Receive applications
• ​Screen applicants
• ​Conduct interviews
• ​Extend offers

Step 3: Onboarding

• ​Gather required documents
• ​Introduce benefits
• ​Establish job responsibilities
• ​Connect with trainers and mentors
• ​Follow up at established intervals

Each of these three categories is important for meeting key hiring goals and creating a positive experience for both the hiring team and prospective employees.

They also help with:

• ​Generating a pool of qualified candidates
• ​Keeping organized and meeting process deadlines
• ​Maximizing time-to-hire
• ​Effectively communicating with prospective employees throughout the process
• ​Creating a welcoming atmosphere during hiring
• ​Encouraging retention through a robust onboarding program

Using ApplicantStack to Build Your Hiring Process

Communication and visibility are core values that can guide how you structure your hiring process. All the stakeholders on the hiring team should have all relevant information at their fingertips. Relying on traditional communication methods for hiring tasks can obscure important information. Using an application tracking system like ApplicantStack provides a visual record of each phase of the process.

Creating a New Job

Once you identify a job that needs to be filled, you can enter it into ApplicantStack and populate it with associated tasks:

• ​Approval from HR or managers
• ​Identify important details like location, department, start date, salary
• ​Write a job description
• ​Post on job boards

ApplicantStack has an integrated posting module for each job board and social media site. You can quickly post open positions, see their status, and can even enable a text-to-apply feature for jobs where you need quick turnaround.

Receiving Applications

Candidates for every open job are entered into ApplicantStack for viewing and sorted in the order most relevant to your needs. You can sort by job, hiring stage, and importance, as well as by rating (once you’ve done some initial screening). This effort can help the hiring team keep track of the order of importance for scheduling interviews.

Candidates can indicate their preferred means of communication, enabling quicker response times.

Hiring Team Division of Labor

The email tab sends invitations for each individual’s assigned tasks, with options to set reminders and create calendar items. The email contains all the relevant data about the candidate, position, and stage of the process, so there’s never any confusion about where anyone stands.

Once you accept an assignment, you can create a task list that’s sortable by date and status and includes integrated contact links to complete tasks within the software. This instantly updates the candidate’s profile so anyone else checking in can see where they stand.

Offers and Onboarding

ApplicantStack creates customizable templates for offer letters. You can make offers from within the software and, once accepted, transition the candidate to employee to take advantage of the powerful onboarding tools. With mobile and desktop access, new hires can upload tax forms, access and download company manuals and benefits information, and e-sign required documents for their personnel file.

You can also create checklists for new hires to keep track of training and give them a sense of accomplishment in their new role. Checklists are a good reminder for managers and HR to periodically check in with new hires, help resolve concerns, and meet company retention goals.

Reports and Analysis

When setting up a hiring process from scratch, you’re likely to hit a few bumps in the road as you refine the procedures to best fit your company. ApplicantStack’s integrated reports can help you understand key metrics such as time-to-hire and identify bottlenecks in the process. Each hire can teach you something about how to improve your process and where you had the most success.

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]]>Skills-Based Hiring in Hourly and Frontline Roles: A Practical Guidehttps://www.applicantstack.com/blog/skills-based-hiring-in-hourly-and-frontline-roles-a-practical-guide/

Wed, 29 Jul 2026 13:00:03 +0000https://www.applicantstack.com/?p=353301The need for high-volume, non-exempt roles in the retail, food service, and healthcare support sectors often outpaces companies’ abilities to hire quickly. In these busy industries, shifts can run 24 hours, and turnover is frequent, creating a challenge for hiring managers. If degree or experience requirements are creating a barrier to finding quality candidates, consider […]

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]]>The need for high-volume, non-exempt roles in the retail, food service, and healthcare support sectors often outpaces companies’ abilities to hire quickly. In these busy industries, shifts can run 24 hours, and turnover is frequent, creating a challenge for hiring managers. If degree or experience requirements are creating a barrier to finding quality candidates, consider a new, skills-based approach.

What Is Skills-Based Hiring?

Skills-based hiring is a hiring approach that prioritizes a candidate’s applicable job skills over more traditional metrics like degrees, job titles, or experience. To implement this method most effectively, your company would develop a list of the most desirable skills for available jobs and evaluate each candidate by screening for those attributes. According to the Academy to Innovate HR, you should consider the following:

• ​Specific skill requirements (what someone must be able to do)
• ​Skill proficiency levels (how well they must do it)
• ​Measurable outputs or outcomes (what success looks like in practice).

The workforce is populated by quality workers who opted out of a traditional four-year college track for a variety of reasons. With effective screening questions, you can find those whose skills are a great match for your company.

Valuable Skills for Hourly and Frontline Workers

Resumes often list vague skills like “good communicator” or “team player.” For effective hiring, you need to discover what specific skills your company requires.

• ​Retail workers, for example, need to have proficiency with point-of-sale software, understand how to follow a store-specific planogram to reset the sales floor, and demonstrate excellent customer service.
• ​Hospital support staff need to demonstrate the ability to follow required health and safety protocols, multitask, and – if directly involved in patient care – compassion and empathy.
• ​Food service workers need to understand and navigate the intricacies of timing in a busy restaurant, demonstrate proficiency in mandatory food safety protocols, and provide care and service to multiple customers at a time.

Other skills you may consider valuable for hourly and frontline jobs:

• ​Active listening
• ​Cultural awareness
• ​Adaptability
• ​Fluency in documentation practices
• ​Observation
• ​Personal emotional regulation
• ​Integrity
• ​Time management
• ​Taking initiative
• ​Problem solving
• ​Attention to detail
• ​Patience
• ​Strategic thinking

Most of these skills aren’t readily recognizable from a college degree or a job title on a resume. That’s where skills-based screening questions can help you select candidates who can do the job with skills and attributes they have already developed.

20 Skills-Based Screening Question Examples

1. 1.“You come to work expecting your typical workload. When you arrive, you discover you need to cover for another co-worker too. How do you adapt your routine?”
2. 2.“How would you handle this situation? You’re given a job and partway through completion, you’re asked by a supervisor to do it a different way.”
3. 3.“Have you ever given instructions to someone and discovered they did the job incorrectly? How did you handle that? What did that teach you about yourself?”
4. 4.“Describe a conflict at work. What was your process to deal with it?”
5. 5.“What do you do differently than other people you’ve worked with in your occupation?”
6. 6.“Describe the health and safety rules of this job.”
7. 7.“Have you ever had an accident or a close call related to safety requirements?”
8. 8.“Have you ever discovered you made a mistake? How did you handle it?”
9. 9.“How do you motivate others in your stewardship?”
10. 10.“How do you approach working with colleagues who approach tasks differently from you?”
11. 11.“Describe the conditions that help you do your best work.”
12. 12.“What skills do you enjoy using the most?”
13. 13.“Tell me about a time you implemented a change to a process or procedure at work.”
14. 14.“What kind of problems do you enjoy solving? How do you approach the process?”
15. 15.“How do you cope with stressful situations at work?”
16. 16.“How do you handle working on multiple tasks at once?”
17. 17.“At what point do you involve managers or supervisors when making a decision?”
18. 18.“Describe a situation you would have handled differently now that you’ve had some time to think about it.”
19. 19.“How do you handle angry customers / patients / clients?”
20. 20.“What does good customer service look like to you?”

Screening for quality candidates in high-volume industries is most effective with a skills-based approach. Finding the workers who can handle the daily tasks specific to your business will lead to productivity, retention, and excellent client care. Using ApplicantStack allows you to screen for specific skills before interviews happen. Explore this applicant-tracking system and how it can simplify hiring for frontline roles.

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]]>How to Reduce Time-to-Hire Without Cutting Cornershttps://www.applicantstack.com/blog/how-to-reduce-time-to-hire-without-cutting-corners/

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 13:00:13 +0000https://www.applicantstack.com/?p=353298One of the most important metrics in your hiring process is time-to-hire. Discovering where your company experiences delays and bottlenecks can help you apply best practices to shorten the metric overall. Consider some of the ways to attack this problem head-on. What Is Time-to-Hire? Time-to-hire refers to the number of days between a candidate’s application […]

The post How to Reduce Time-to-Hire Without Cutting Corners appeared first on ApplicantStack.

]]>One of the most important metrics in your hiring process is time-to-hire. Discovering where your company experiences delays and bottlenecks can help you apply best practices to shorten the metric overall. Consider some of the ways to attack this problem head-on.

What Is Time-to-Hire?

Time-to-hire refers to the number of days between a candidate’s application for an open position and the official acceptance of an offer. The first day can also start when a recruiter introduces a candidate to your company. Though the metric is simple to calculate, it can reveal some more complex inefficiencies in your company’s hiring process.

Average Time-to-Hire

According to some recent statistics, time-to-hire is increasing across many industries compared to previous years. Large companies hover around 46 to 51 days, but small and medium businesses are almost double that at 83 days. Some of that difference can be explained by larger, more focused hiring teams, but it may also reveal patterns that can be resolved without a huge budget investment.

Each day that’s added to the time-to-hire metric costs your company money; SHRM suggests the minimum average cost to hire is $5,700, with executive hiring coming in at almost seven times that, at $36,000. Your company’s hiring costs could fall anywhere within that wide range, underscoring the importance of a streamlined timeline.

Calculating Time-to-Hire

As you consider your company’s most recent hires, you can calculate your average using the following formula:

The chosen candidate, Sarah, accepted your offer on day 41. She submitted her resume 16 days after you posted the position.

41 – 16 = 25 days for Sarah’s time-to-hire

Calculate the data from other recent hires:

• ​Hank = 29 days
• ​Teri = 38 days
• ​Holly = 41 days
• ​Abby = 19 days

25 + 29 + 38 + 41 + 19 = 152 days / divided by 5 hires = 30.4 days average

The data shows it takes about a month for your company to fill a position. Metrics are a useful way to make positive changes in processes; if you asked four different people in the company to guess how long it takes, you’d likely get four different answers.

A month-long open position likely entails potential monetary and opportunity costs:

• ​Productivity goes down
• ​Projects remain unfinished
• ​Unhappy clients take their business elsewhere
• ​Current employees take on extra work to fill the gaps, leading to costly overtime or worker burnout
• ​Teams are overstressed, and morale suffers

Identifying Hiring Delays

A typical hiring process looks something like this:

• ​Step 1: Identify job needs
• ​Step 2: Write job description
• ​Step 3: Advertise the job
• ​Step 4: Receive applications
• ​Step 5: Screen applications
• ​Step 6: Interview candidates
• ​Step 7: Identify the chosen candidate
• ​Step 8: Extend offer

At each of those eight steps, there is the possibility of delay.

Automating hiring

Automation tools can help you chip away at compounding delays before they become long bottlenecks. ApplicantStack Recruit provides a central place to store previous job descriptions, ready for editing and updating. With its customizable dashboard, you can organize your open positions using relevant data, such as creation and modification dates, department, salary range, and more. It provides at-a-glance status updates to your hiring team without time-consuming meetings.

Customizing notifications

A customizable notification system can prompt managers to approve the creation of new jobs in the dashboard, then notify the hiring team to proceed with the next steps.

Each candidate can designate their preferred method of contact (email or text message) to allow for quick and easy interview scheduling requests. The status of each interviewee is available to your entire team, eliminating communication delays that can cause you to lose out on top talent.

Reviewing data

The Pipeline Summary shows the number of applicants and their place in the process, customizable to your company’s hiring practices. When you see 25 new applicants and zeros across the rest of the steps, you’ll know that screening and interview scheduling need immediate attention.

Utilizing screening tools

Screening tools allow you to filter candidates using customizable keywords or search terms, and then apply filters such as scores, ratings, and stages. You can assign access to each member of the hiring team so they can make unilateral decisions or flag specific candidates for broader review.

With a data-driven, automated system, your team can feel confident in the steps taken to arrive at the best candidate for a role and extend the offer within the workflow. A structured and organized approach prevents overlooked steps and keeps the process efficient and on time.

Implement ApplicantStack to Speed Up Time-to-Hire

An investment in an ATS can reveal where your process was bogged down by cumbersome email threads, delays in response, and even the overlooking of quality candidates due to a disorganized approach. ApplicantStack is your partner in reducing time-to-hire while helping you source the best people for your open positions.

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