Nail your hiring prep in one day: The ultimate checklist for recruitment success

For Kiwi businesses, hiring always feels urgent. Someone’s resigned, growth has picked up and now your team is stretched thinner than ever.

When you’re juggling the day-to-day operations of the business, the process of hiring can feel like one more critical thing to squeeze in. But skipping the preparation is what leads to drawn-out timelines, mismatched candidates and last-minute decisions you have little confidence in. 

The reality is, rushing into hiring without a plan can end up costing you more time. Whether it’s job descriptions that miss the mark, unclear role and salary expectations or no set recruitment timeline, the reality is that poor planning can drag out the process, frustrate your team and the worst part… turn great candidates off.

This checklist gives you everything you need to get hiring-ready, helping you to:

• Move fast without rushing your recruitment prep
• Get all of your hiring admin sorted before the job ad goes live
• Attract the right people from day one

Whether you’re replacing a team member or growing for the first time, this checklist can help get you recruitment-ready in under one day.

What’s in this recruitment checklist?

This checklist covers key areas to help you get hiring-ready, including:

• Pre-recruitment planning: The essential steps to prepare before you even post a job ad, so you can move quickly to secure the right talent. This includes locking in the role details, confirming salary and mapping out a detailed recruitment timeline.
• Building a streamlined hiring process: Get all your hiring admin sorted before the job ad goes live, including assembling your hiring team and preparing interview and assessment templates.
• Creating an effective job ad: The checklist guides you on preparing a job ad that attracts the best candidates by being crystal clear on essentials like the job title, key responsibilities and benefits.
• Finalising the hiring stages: Tap into the best channels to share your job ad and pre-schedule interview blocks to improve efficiency. The checklist also includes a final review and sign-off process to ensure everyone is aligned before you go live.
• Reference checks and offer planning: Learn steps for preparing reference check questions ahead of time and drafting offer letter templates.

Step-by-step: Building a streamlined hiring process that works

The key to nailing your recruitment process starts with a solid plan. This checklist provides a step-by-step guide to help you get hiring-ready in one day, making sure you attract the right talent without an unnecessarily long timeline.

1. Lock in the role details

Before you do anything, you need to know exactly what you’re hiring for. This means confirming the role title, reporting lines and seniority. You should also set a realistic salary range and define any perks or benefits upfront to prevent negotiation delays later.

2. Map out your recruitment timeline

Drafting a step-by-step recruitment schedule is key for a smooth hiring process. This includes setting dates for when the job ad goes live, the application close date, the interview period and when you’d like to send an offer to the successful candidate. Consider assigning owners for each stage and creating key milestones to avoid bottlenecks

3. Assemble and align your hiring team

Consider who will be involved at each stage of the hiring process, from the screening call to the final decision. Brief the team on scoring criteria and the candidate profile to prevent mixed messages and avoid bias.

4. Prepare your job ad

The job description is one of the most important parts of your recruitment process. Be crystal clear on the essentials, such as the job title, key responsibilities and preferred skills. Don’t forget to include your Employee Value Proposition (EVP) to show what makes your company a great place to work.

5. Finalise the best channels to share your job ad

Choose your posting platforms, whether it’s popular job boards, LinkedIn or niche sites. Plus, be sure to post the ad on your own careers page and social media to broaden your reach.

6. Create interview and assessment templates

Standardise interview questions for each stage to ensure every candidate is evaluated fairly. Create scoring sheets to objectively rate skills and experience and draft email templates for confirmations and rejections to save time.

7. Pre-schedule interview blocks

Block out specific times for phone screens and interviews in your calendar to avoid back-and-forth scheduling with key stakeholders. Keeping interviews back-to-back improves efficiency and allows for easier comparison of candidates.

8. Reference checks and offer planning

Prepare reference check questions ahead of time to get useful insights quickly. Draft offer letter templates, including salary, start date and employment terms, to speed up the final stage. 

9. Final review and sign-off

Share the full recruitment plan, templates and timeline with everyone involved to ensure they know what to do and when. Confirm approvals, clarify responsibilities and answer any questions to make sure everyone is on the same page.

Meeting New Zealand laws when hiring staff

Understanding compliance around recruitment 

In New Zealand, there are a few key pieces of legislation that govern employment, including in the hiring process. They cover a range of areas, from anti-discrimination protections for candidates, to minimum wage requirements, migrant worker protections and more. These laws ensure employees and candidates are treated fairly throughout the entire hiring process, from advertising, to shortlisting, interviewing, onboarding and beyond. 

With so much to consider, it’s essential all HR leaders and hiring managers are across it all as these regulations lay the foundations for hiring compliantly. 

Here’s a quick overview of the key pieces of legislation:

• Human Rights Act 1993
• Privacy Act 2003
• Employment Relations Act 2000
• Minimum Wage Act 1983
• Worker Protection (Migrant and Other Employees) Act 2023
• Equal Pay Act 1972
• Wages Protection Act 1983
• Holidays Act 2003
• Parental Leave and Employment Protection Act 1987

How can Employment Hero help?

Employment Hero takes that weight off your shoulders and cuts down the timings of this checklist even further. With smart tools that streamline job ads, screen candidates and simplify interview coordination, you can spend less time buried in admin and more time connecting with the right talent.

With our all-in-one Employment Operating System, you can:

• Attract better candidates. Get your role in front of the right people, even if they’re not actively looking, with smart tools that go beyond traditional job boards.
• Tap into top talent. With 1.5 million built-in candidates, you’re closer than ever to your next great hire. 
• Cut down on manual work. Automate job ads, track applicants in one place and use built-in tools to shortlist efficiently.
• Keep things moving. With structured scorecards and a clear hiring workflow, your team can make confident decisions, fast.
• Set new hires up for success. Digital contracts and tailored onboarding workflows help new team members hit the ground running and feel like part of the team from day one.

Whether you’re hiring your first employee or growing your team, Employment Hero’s all-in-one Employment Operating System helps you focus on what matters; finding great people and getting them through the door.
Ready to see for yourself? Book a demo or start hiring for free today.

Disclaimer: The information in this checklist is current as at 2 September 2025, and has been prepared by Employment Hero Pty Ltd (ABN 11 160 047 709) and its related bodies corporate (Employment Hero). The views expressed in this checklist are general information only, are provided in good faith to assist employers and their employees, and should not be relied on as professional advice. The Information is based on data supplied by third parties. While such data is believed to be accurate, it has not been independently verified and no warranties are given that it is complete, accurate, up to date or fit for the purpose for which it is required. Employment Hero does not accept responsibility for any inaccuracy in such data and is not liable for any loss or damages arising either directly or indirectly as a result of reliance on, use of or inability to use any information provided in this checklist. You should undertake your own research and to seek professional advice before making any decisions or relying on the information in this checklist.