
Recruitment toolkit
- Contains all the documents you need for a recruitment process
- Helps you comply with employment law
- Guides you through the process
This toolkit covers everything you need to recruit permanent or fixed-term employees. It takes you from devising the specification for your ideal candidate to making an offer and creating a bespoke employment contract. Documents included in this toolkit are:
- job description;
- person specification;
- staff recruitment privacy notice;
- letters required to obtain a medical report about a candidate;
- offer letter;
- employment contract;
- probation review form; and
- letters dealing with all possible outcomes of the probationary period.
You'll also receive a how-to guide which explains how to make sure your recruitment process is legally compliant.
Q&A
When should I use this toolkit?
You should use this toolkit if you want to recruit staff, whether on a permanent or fixed-term basis.
The toolkit helps you to advertise a job, make a job offer, and write an employment contract. It also contains documents for arranging medical checks for job applicants or staff members, and documents to extend or confirm probation periods.
What does this toolkit cover?
This recruitment toolkit contains the documents you are likely to need to carry out a proper, legally compliant recruitment process. It includes:
- job description;
- person specification;
- staff recruitment privacy notice;
- letters required to obtain a medical report about a candidate;
- offer letter;
- employment contract;
- probation review form; and
- letters dealing with all possible outcomes of the probationary period.
It also includes a how-to guide, which takes you through the process of recruiting staff and explains what is legally required of you.
Why do I need this toolkit?
Use this toolkit to make sure you are complying with the law while recruiting staff. There are certain legal requirements around advertising jobs, making job offers, and writing employment contracts, and this toolkit will assist you to make sure you are acting within the law.
Not only does complying with the law mean you'll avoid fines, penalties and potential employment claims against you by your staff or job applicants, but it also helps you to maintain good employment relationships, build staff morale, and ensure you and your staff are on the same page about your rights and expectations.
Where can I find out more?
You can find out more about the recruitment process, from advertising a position, selecting and interviewing applicants to making a job offer, at Hiring Staff.
You can find more guidance on employment contracts in our Q&A on Staff contracts.
Documents in Toolkit
Employment contract
How to guide: Recruitment toolkit
Job description
Letter confirming successful completion of probation
Letter confirming unsuccessful completion of probation
Letter extending probationary period
Letter to a job applicant's current or former medical practitioner requesting a medical report
Letter to job applicant confirming medical report has been requested
Letter to job applicant requesting consent to medical report
Offer Letter
Person specification
Probation review form
Staff recruitment privacy notice
Related Toolkits
Redundancy toolkit
- How-to guide: Redundancy toolkit
Redundancy - Letter warning of proposed redundancies
Redundancy - Selection criteria form
Redundancy - Provisional selection for redundancy letter
Redundancy - First individual consultation meeting agenda
Redundancy - Outcome of individual consultation meeting
Redundancy - Invitation to final individual consultation meeting
Redundancy - Final individual consultation meeting agenda
Redundancy - Notice of termination of employment
Redundancy - Offer of alternative employment
Disciplinary toolkit
- How-to guide: Disciplinary toolkit
Suspension letter pending investigation
Disciplinary investigation template
Invitation to attend a disciplinary hearing
Invitation to attend meeting to discuss sickness absence
List of common disabilities
Note taking template for disciplinary proceedings
Basic script for conducting a disciplinary hearing
First written warning for capability
First written warning for misconduct
Final written warning for capability
Final written warning for misconduct
Sickness absence meeting - outcome letter
Dismissal letter
Invitation to attend a disciplinary appeal hearing
Basic script for conducting a disciplinary appeal hearing
Letter to confirm outcome of a disciplinary appeal
Pregnancy and maternity toolkit
Maternity arrangements letter
Maternity - Amended return date letter
Maternity - Letter confirming sickness absence during last four weeks before childbirth
Maternity - KIT Day Letter
Employee notice of return from maternity leave
Letter to employee confirming dates of return from maternity leave
Pregnancy - health and safety letter
- How-to guide: Pregnancy and maternity toolkit
Pregnancy and maternity risk assessment
Maternity - Employee notice of pregnancy and intention to take maternity leave
Pregnancy - suspension on health and safety grounds letter
Paternity toolkit
- How-to guide: Paternity toolkit
Declaration of eligibility for time off to attend antenatal appointments
Employee declaration of eligibility for time off to attend pre-adoption appointments
Employee declaration of eligibility for time off to attend antenatal appointments with surrogate
Paternity arrangements letter
Employee notice of date of childbirth
Notice of updated return date from paternity leave
Adoption - Employee notice of date of arrival