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Hiring process checklist template

General information, not legal advice. Last checked October 29, 2026.

By , tech recruiter at GuruLink in Winnipeg. Recruiting tech people since 2018. Updated .

How to use this

General information, not legal advice. Check with an employment lawyer in your province.

The list runs from defining the role to day one, with the legal steps marked.

Give every step one owner and a date. Set the whole timeline before you post, and tell people what it is.

The steps marked (law) come from a statute or regulation, with the source next to them. The rest are good practice. Most Ontario posting steps apply only to employers with 25 or more employees (O. Reg. 476/24, s. 1). Ontario's accessibility steps apply to employers with 1 or more Ontario employees (O. Reg. 191/11, ss. 2, 22).

The template

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Hiring process checklist

General information, not legal advice. (law) = required by the source named. Owner and date go in the brackets.

Define the role

  • ☐ Agree on the real need with the hiring manager. [Owner, date]
  • ☐ Split must-haves from nice-to-haves. Keep must-haves tied to the job's actual duties.
  • ☐ Set the pay range from market data. In Ontario, keep a posted range at $50,000 wide or less. (law) O. Reg. 476/24, s. 4.
  • ☐ Decide if this is an existing vacancy. You'll need to say so in an Ontario posting. (law) ESA s. 8.5.
  • ☐ Decide if any AI tool will screen, assess or select applicants. That includes a recruiter's tools. (law) ESA s. 8.4 and the ESA guide.
  • ☐ Map the interview steps and the timeline.
  • ☐ Write the job description from a template on this site.
  • ☐ Quebec: if the job needs a language other than French, check the duties really need it. (law) Charter of the French language, s. 46.

Post and source

  • ☐ Run the posting through the Ontario 2026 checklist. (law) ESA ss. 8.2 to 8.5.
  • ☐ Remove any Canadian experience requirement from the posting and the application form. (law) ESA s. 8.3.
  • ☐ Say that accommodation is available for applicants with disabilities. (law, Ontario) O. Reg. 191/11, s. 22.
  • ☐ BC: post the pay or range. Don't ask anyone about past pay. (law) BC Pay Transparency Act, ss. 2, 3.
  • ☐ Quebec: publish the offer of employment in French. (law) Charter of the French language, s. 41.
  • ☐ Save a copy of the posting and the form. Save each new version. Save linked pages. (law) ESA s. 15(7.1).
  • ☐ Ask your network for referrals. Reach out to people who aren't looking.
  • ☐ Track every applicant in one place, even a spreadsheet.
  • ☐ Reply to every applicant. A short no is better than silence.

Interview

  • ☐ Write the core questions and an answer guide before the first interview.
  • ☐ Ask everyone in the same round the same core questions.
  • ☐ Brief every interviewer on the off-limits questions.
  • ☐ Tell each person you invite that accommodation is available on request. (law, Ontario) O. Reg. 191/11, s. 23.
  • ☐ Send the format and timeline ahead of time.
  • ☐ Score on the scorecard within 24 hours. Score before the debrief.
  • ☐ Log each interview date. You'll need it for the 45-day note.

Decide

  • ☐ Hold the debrief soon after the last interview. Review scorecards first.
  • ☐ Make a clear yes or no and write down the job-related reasons.
  • ☐ Get written consent before reference checks. (guidance) OPC Case Summary #2007-382.
  • ☐ Ask references only about the work.
  • ☐ Tell everyone you interviewed whether you've made a hiring decision, within 45 days of their last interview. (law) ESA s. 8.6, O. Reg. 476/24, s. 5.
  • ☐ Save a copy of each 45-day note. (law) ESA s. 15(7.1.1).

Offer

  • ☐ Call first with the offer. Then send the letter.
  • ☐ Use the offer letter template. Get the termination section reviewed by a lawyer.
  • ☐ Tell the person about your policies for accommodating employees with disabilities. (law, Ontario) O. Reg. 191/11, s. 24.
  • ☐ Give a fair deadline to decide, a few business days.
  • ☐ Ask for SIN, proof of work authorization, licences and similar papers only after a conditional offer, and only if needed. (guidance) OHRC sensitive-info guide.
  • ☐ Quebec: draw up the written contract in French. Another language is allowed only if both of you expressly want it. For a standard-form contract, they must see the French version first. (law) Charter of the French language, s. 41.

Before day one

  • ☐ Ontario, 25 or more employees: give the new hire written job info before day one. That is your legal name, contact info, where they'll work, starting pay, pay period and pay day, and hours. (law) ESA guide, Mandatory information.
  • ☐ Send a welcome note with first-day details.
  • ☐ Set up the laptop, accounts and access.
  • ☐ Assign an onboarding buddy.
  • ☐ Start the onboarding plan.

Records

  • ☐ Keep postings and forms for 3 years after they come down. (law) ESA s. 15(7.1).
  • ☐ Keep 45-day notes for 3 years. (law) ESA s. 15(7.1.1).
  • ☐ Keep interview notes and scorecards at least 6 months, longer if there's a complaint. (guidance) OHRC interview guide.
  • ☐ Delete reference notes on the date you promised in the consent form.

Sources (checked October 29, 2026)

Sources