Hiring when you don't have an HR department
For most small businesses, hiring means a stack of emails, some messages on a job site and a sign in the window. Then a good applicant slips through because you meant to call back on Tuesday and it got busy.
PinkLinq gives you one list of applicants and a simple set of stages. It doesn't try to be an enterprise recruiting system, and that's the point.
Your careers page
Your company gets a public careers page, with no extra website work. Each job has a title, location, type of work, pay and description. Choose from job templates or write your own. Mark it full-time, part-time, seasonal or contract.
Share the link on your social pages, put it on a QR code in the window, or paste it into a job board post. Candidates apply from their phone and can attach a resume.
The pipeline
Every applicant moves through six stages:
| Stage | What it means |
|---|---|
| New | Just applied |
| Screening | You're taking a closer look or having a quick call |
| Interview | You're meeting them |
| Offer | You've made an offer |
| Hired | They said yes |
| Rejected | Not this time |
Your whole list is on one screen, so you can see at a glance who's waiting on you. If a manager's helping with interviews, they see the same thing.
From hired to first shift
This is where having it in one app helps. Once someone's hired, add them to your team and they get the app link. If you've set up an onboarding pack, it starts automatically on their first sign-in. You can add them to next week's schedule right away.
A short guide to hiring for shift work
Write the post for the reader. Lead with the pay, the hours and the location. Say honestly what's hard about the job. "You'll be on your feet all shift, and Saturdays are busy" puts off the wrong people and earns trust from the right ones.
Answer quickly. Hourly applicants are often applying to several places at once. If you call back within a day, you'll often beat a competitor who takes a week.
Ask about availability early. It's the most common reason a good interview doesn't turn into a good hire.
Do a short working interview if it fits, and pay for it. Watching someone for an hour tells you more than any set of questions.
Keep your questions job-related. Federal and state laws limit what you can ask, and they cover topics like age, family and health. If you're not sure, leave the question out.
Keep records. Employers have duties to keep hiring records for a set period. Ask your lawyer or check the EEOC's recordkeeping page for what applies to you.
What it costs
Hiring is in the HR & Skills hub on every plan, including Free for up to 10 people. Basic costs $14.50 a month billed yearly for your first 30 people, with no fee per job post.