bonus: checklists for the various stages.
by jassen bowman
tax resolution systems
to grow your business beyond just what you yourself can accomplish, you’re going to end up hiring staff. unfortunately, with hiring also sometimes comes firing.
more: tax resolution staff roles and responsibilities | case study: building a tax resolution business | marketing requires ruthless accountability | first, you need clients | the tax resolution client intake checklist
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having a written process for how you conduct your hiring will make the process much smoother. in addition, having written criteria established ahead of time for how you evaluate candidates and make hiring decisions could prove invaluable in the unlikely event of a discrimination lawsuit or other employee-related incident we never really want to think about dealing with.
hiring checklist
determine staffing requirements.
- identify specific staff roles you need filled.
- determine specific job description.
- create a list of the most important education, experience and skills you desire for a new hire in this position.
- filter your list down to the top 5 to 10 factors for this position.
- create your ideal job ad posting and post on relevant job boards:
- craigslist
- regional helpwanted.com sites
- local newspaper
- staffing agencies
- social media sites
- seek referrals from colleagues and clients
- review resumes/applications using the key factors identified earlier to filter applicants.
- conduct initial interviews via telephone.
- filter candidates by criteria and set up in-person interviews.
- create sample tasks for candidates to perform during in-person interview to evaluate fitness for the job.
marketing to hire checklist
use the following “marketing to hire” checklist to make sure you have all your marketing out to hire the help you need to run a true business that improves whether you are there or not.
consider running the following:
- run local craigslist ads to hire assistants.
- run local craigslist ads to hire tax return preparers.
- run local craigslist ads to hire licensed staff.
- run local print classified ads to hire court abstractors.
- run local print classified ads to hire telemarketers.
- seek referrals from your professional network for quality staff.
- establish relationships with local paraprofessional schools, such as paralegal training schools.
- keep an ad running on upwork.com for virtual assistants.
how often to run craigslist ads
it is recommended
- that you post this ad so that it remains up at all times and
- if it moves past the first page of results that you remove the old ad and repost the ad.
if you happen to be in a city where the ad will move off the first page faster than you are allowed to repost per craigslist’s guidelines, then follow craigslist’s terms of service guidelines.
craigslist charging for job postings in your city
for a small number of cities on craigslist they will charge you for running an ad to hire someone (in the jobs sections). you could pay the fee to run the ad or post the ad on another website such as backpage.
check to see if the ad is still running first:
- go to craigslist in the section you posted the ad and see if your ad is still up and on the first page. if you don’t remember which section you posted it in, you can see that when you login to your craigslist account under the my account link on the craigslist homepage.
- for example, if you were in fort collins, colorado go to the following sections of craigslist depending on where you ran your telemarketer hiring ad:
- customer service jobs
- admin/office jobs
- business/management jobs
- sales/biz development jobs
- if it is not on the first page, use the checklist below to repost an ad.
how to post the ad
- log in to craigslist at craigslist.com
- use the anonymize feature so that your real email does not appear on the site for spammers to just pick up and email you incessantly.
- post your ad in the most relevant job category.
- verify that the ad actually goes live on the system by waiting 15 to 30 minutes and then checking to see if the ad shows up in the section you selected for that city’s craigslist site. it can take 15 to 30 minutes for the ad to appear normally, however…
- if it does not appear after 15 to 30 minutes but looks like it should, your ad was probably “ghosted” and you will need to try again.
- if your ad is removed for any reason (like it was flagged or expired), you can repost it or remove the old ad and repost it every three days (or whatever craigslist current policy is for reposting).
resume filtering checklist
- review your stated minimum requirements needed for this position and refer to them often as you review resumes/applications.
- ignore the applicant’s name, address or personal information to limit subconscious biases.
- attempt to ignore superficial issues such as style, typographical areas in favor of content, unless such issues are directly related to the position for which they are applying. such scrutiny may unintentionally rule out members of protected classes.
- check work experience for applicability to the position for which they are applying, length of time in each position, promotions or awards received, reason for leaving each position.
- note gaps in employment but do not assume they were caused by negative reasons.
- check educational background for qualifications necessary to successful job performance.
- note special skills (e.g., computer software, office equipment, certifications).
- note on a separate piece of paper any pertinent questions that arise when reviewing the resume/application and ask those during telephone screening.
- divide resumes into three groups:
- “a” pile is for applicants who closely match job requirements and for whom a telephone screening is obviously an appropriate next step.
- “b” pile is for applicants who meet some requirements and may be considered secondarily, but do not warrant a telephone screening at this point.
- “c” pile is for applicants who do not meet the requirements at all. to increase review speed, you may consider immediately moving to the “c” pile those applicants who are missing obvious necessary requirements. for example, if you are only hiring experienced return preparers, and an applicant has absolutely zero return preparation experience, then those applicants can be placed straight into the “c” pile.
- screen the “a” pile again to further narrow down the candidates.
- choose your top three to five applicants for initial phone screening.
- after phone screening the first three to five, if you do not have sufficient candidates worth interviewing face to face, continue phone screening additional “a” pile applicants.
telephone screening checklist
pre-book an interview time with the candidate via telephone or email.
review the applicant’s resume and bear in mind the details of the position you are looking to fill.
prepare a list of questions you want to ask and key points about the job that you want to convey so you can keep the call moving along. the following are some common telephone interview questions:
- what interests you about this position?
- what interests you about tax work?
- what are your skills and experience related to the position?
- what are your salary expectations?
- tell me about a time you had to build an effective team to accomplish a task.
- how do you establish and achieve your goals?
- how did you ensure cooperation among coworkers?
try to avoid extended silences during the call, as these can make you look less professional and can break the flow of the conversation, making it more difficult to get back on track.
have the applicant’s resume in front of you to clarify information and to refer to his or her experience as needed.
communicate clearly about the position and what it will entail.
begin to assess the applicant’s skills and work experience over the phone and get a feel for how these will translate into your work environment.
- based on phone answers, assess each candidate an objective 0 to 10 score for each of the critical job criteria you have identified.
- consider each applicant based on their telephone personality in regard to how they would fit into your company work environment.
find out how serious the applicant is in securing the position so you know if it is worth proceeding to a future interview.
clearly explain your hiring process and what the applicant can expect.
unlawful interview questions
certain questions are illegal to ask in a job interview. while this is not intended as legal advice, it is advisable to be careful to avoid these sorts of questions. if you have any concerns regarding this area, definitely consult with a human resources attorney.
avoid questions pertaining to a candidate’s:
- age
- race, ethnicity or color
- gender or sex
- country of national origin or birthplace
- religion
- disability
- marital or family status or pregnancy
example questions to avoid:
- will you need to make child care arrangements in order to work?
- when did you graduate from high school?
- are you a u.s. citizen?
- what does your wife do for a living?
- will you need personal time for particular religious holidays?
- how long do you plan to work until you retire?
- do you have any serious illnesses that might impact your ability to work?
in-person interviews
the single biggest mistake that business owners make when conducting in-person interviews is that they fail to actually have candidates perform job-related tasks in order to assess their actual capabilities. anybody can write stuff on a resume, and anybody can sound intelligent and skilled in conversation. but when it comes down to actually performing a task, it’s pretty much impossible to fake it.
the worst thing you can possibly do during an interview is to just sit there and ask them interview questions out of an hr book.
for candidates you consider worthwhile to bring in for an in-person interview, you should develop at least three actual tasks that they must perform in order to assess their ability to do the job. this sort of pre-hire assessment is incredibly common in europe and asia, but for some reason has never caught on in north america.
example pre-hire assessment tasks:
- complete a paper 1040-ez, by hand, from provided sample data.
- complete a standardized typing test.
- reconcile a quickbooks sample file.
- call two actual clients to set or verify their appointment times.
- enter data into a sample excel spreadsheet.
- have the candidate complete one particular lead generation marketing checklist.
- provide candidate with a list of 10 tasks, and ask them to prioritize them into high, medium and low priority.
- ask the candidate to compose a letter responding to a client inquiry, complaint or other situation relevant to the position being applied for.
- provide the candidate with a completed complex irs form (such as a 433-a, a full 1120, etc.), and ask them to extract three specific pieces of information.
- invite the candidate to mingle with your staff without you present, and have your staff delegate a few short, simple tasks to the candidate. obtain feedback from your staff on the candidate’s performance.
these are just a few examples of the type of pre-hire assessment tasks you can perform. the specific tasks should be relevant to the job you are hiring for. only after assessing the candidate in this fashion do i consider it acceptable to ask the candidate more common “by the book” interview questions.
i also believe it is good to have your best candidates meet your other staff, mingle with them and allow them to interact as a group for a short period. your office work environment should be free of drama and interpersonal conflict, and thus new hires should fit into your existing work climate. your staff can provide valuable feedback in this regard.
employee onboarding checklist
- complete form w-4 on or before first day of work.
- complete any necessary state tax forms.
- complete form i-9 within three days of hire. maintain copies for at least three years after hiring, or one year after termination (whichever is longer).
- obtain employee emergency contacts.
- within 21 days, report new hires to your state new hire system.
- ensure all insurance coverages are in place for your new staffing levels (ui, di, wc, etc.).
- provide employee with copy of your employee handbook. obtain their signature stating that they have received it.
- obtain signatures on non-disclosure agreements and non-compete agreements, if using.
- start employee training record.
- each staff role should have a specific training regimen. document the completion of this training program in the employee file.
- keep copies of employee testing records and scores on standard in-office quizzes and cpe materials.
employee disciplinary actions
when staff members violate conditions of the employee handbook, employees should face a gradually escalating set of consequences, up to and including termination. be sure to thoroughly document all employee disciplinary actions in personnel file.
example sequence of disciplinary actions:
- first infraction: verbal warning and conference with owner/manager
- second infraction: provide written notice of infraction, provide additional copy of employee handbook and obtain signature for receipt again
- third infraction: reduction in employee hours and/or responsibilities
- fourth infraction: termination
employee termination checklist
employee termination can be a complicated legal matter. it is highly advised that you consult with competent legal counsel regarding your own state’s employment laws and the legal considerations for termination of employees.
after an employee has been terminated, complete the following checklist to ensure data security, client security, etc.:
- remove user access to it resources to which the former employee had access
- obtain from the employee their workstation password, voicemail password, fax machine pin, etc.
- recover any building access keys or electronic access devices, key fobs, etc.
- recover any other company property from the terminated individual
- conduct an internal assessment to ensure that other resources, such as client lists, tax files, etc. have not been removed from the office
- balance accrued/used vacation and sick time against their final paycheck
- ensure that cobra benefits, 401(k), company-provided life insurance and other employee benefits are addressed with the former staff member
- provide final paycheck
- review non-disclosure and non-compete agreements with them
- obtain an updated address for sending final w-2