Hiring staff (pack)

When recruiting, employers may use this document to produce a form for all applicants invited to interview to complete. The form asks the applicant to declare whether they have a current criminal conviction, and if so, to give details of the offence(s) and sentence(s). Additionally, there are clear instructions in how employers should use this information to ensure that they comply fully with the requirements of the Rehabilitation of Offenders and Data Protection Acts.

Use this to create a reference letter from an employer to a referee. It will contain a number of useful standard questions seeking information that an employer may find useful. You should include a stamped, addressed envelope with this letter to facilitate a quick response from the referee. The applicant will need to give their consent for their old employer to provide a reference to you. To avoid delays, the applicant should give that consent to them directly or to you, so you can send it with this letter.

Employers should use this document to prepare a letter to send to unsuccessful job applicants, whether or not they attended an interview. The letter advises them that they have been unsuccessful on this occasion and includes the option to keep their details for future vacancies, should they agree to this.

Employers should use this form when interviewing job applicants. The form includes a comprehensive checklist of topics to be covered during interview, with suggestions for specific questions and the opportunity to allocate marks and give comments for each. The completed checklist can provide evidence that you have taken a consistent and fair approach to all candidates. If properly applied, this can assist in providing protection against complaints of discrimination. You should keep all completed checklists for unsuccessful applicants for at least six months for this reason.

This document creates a standard job application form to be used when hiring new staff. It should assist you in forming an objective view of the applicant's suitability as part of your selection process. The document also takes into account discrimination legislation to help protect your business against accusations of discrimination at an employment tribunal. You may wish to use this application form in combination with a criminal convictions declaration form, although you should send these two forms separately to the applicant.

Use this to create a job offer letter for a prospective employee following an interview. It contains basic information of your offer, such as salary, hours, holiday, benefits and notice periods.

You can also include details of any probation period or hybrid working arrangements, and choose to make the employment conditional on various criteria such as references, qualifications or other checks.

You will need to send a more detailed employment contract or statement of written particulars (either with this letter or separately, later). You can use our Employment statement or Employment agreement to do this.

This document is not suitable for part-year employees (such as employees who work only during education term times).

Use this document to create an induction checklist when taking on a new member of staff. As the checklist has not been catered to a particular business or industry, it might be the case that there are certain items that will not be applicable. However, the checklist should provide the necessary structure as part of a wider induction programme.