Your employment documentation strategy needs to address the people you hire as well as the ones that you don’t hire. Each organization should maintain a hiring file of documents generated during the recruiting and evaluation process for each position on your staff. A thorough hiring file should include the following items:
- Job postings
- Applications and resumes received
- Any communications with a recruiter, if one was used
- Interview notes
- Reference checks
- Evaluation and assessment results
- Applicant data detailing why other candidates were not hired
Record keeping guidelines vary by record type but in general records related to hiring must adhere to EEOC guidelines which mandate that private employers retain records for one year from the date of origination. State and local governments must retain records for two years.