Recruitment and selection policy template: one policy from requisition to offer
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A recruitment and selection policy is the one governing document for hiring: who may open a role, where and how it is advertised, how candidates are assessed (structured interviews and written scorecards), how references and checks are handled, who may approve an offer, and how records are kept. Below is a copy-ready template with [bracketed] fields, an appendix that links each clause to the form or template that carries it out, and the federal rules it answers to, as of October 2026.
Existing pages cover the parts: the hiring approval workflow, the interview process template and the hiring process RACI. This page is the policy that ties them together, so that a hiring manager in any team follows the same rules.
Not legal advice. The federal rules below were checked on the linked official sources as of October 2026. State and city laws on pay transparency, salary history, criminal history and AI in hiring change several clauses. Have counsel review the policy for every place you hire.
The recruitment and selection policy template
Copy it into your own document and replace everything in square brackets.
RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION POLICY
[Organization] Version [x] Effective [date]
Owner: [name, role] Legal review: [date] Next review: [date]
1. PRINCIPLES
1.1 We hire on evidence of the skills a role needs, assessed the same
way for every candidate for that role.
1.2 We do not discriminate on any characteristic protected by law
where the job is located, and we provide reasonable
accommodations to applicants who need them.
1.3 This policy applies to every employee hire [and contractor
engagement]. Exceptions are approved under section 15 only.
2. REQUISITION AND APPROVAL
2.1 No role is advertised, and no agency briefed, without an approved
requisition stating the job title, level, pay range, budget,
hiring manager and reason (new role or backfill).
2.2 Approvals: [hiring manager] -> [budget owner] -> [HR / finance],
each within [2] working days. Roles above [level / salary] also
need [executive] approval.
3. INTERNAL OPPORTUNITY
3.1 [Option A] Roles are posted internally for [5] working days
before external advertising.
[Option B] Roles are posted internally and externally at the
same time.
3.2 Exempt from 3.1: [urgent backfills / confidential searches /
roles with no internal pipeline], approved by [role].
3.3 Internal applicants are assessed with the same questions and
scorecard as external applicants.
4. JOB DESCRIPTIONS, ADVERTISING AND PAY
4.1 Each role has a job description listing essential duties and
the skills, experience and qualifications they require. No
requirement is included that the job does not need.
4.2 Job ads state [the pay range / any information required where the
job is located] and contain no wording that shows a preference
for or discourages people based on a protected characteristic.
4.3 We do not ask applicants about their pay history [where
prohibited / anywhere]. Offers are based on the role's range and
the candidate's assessed skills.
4.4 Roles are advertised on [channels] so that the applicant pool is
not limited to people who already know our employees.
5. AGENCIES, REFERRALS AND UNSOLICITED CVS
5.1 Agencies are used only under a signed agreement and only for
roles briefed by [TA]. Unsolicited CVs from agencies create no fee.
5.2 Referred candidates follow the same process as everyone else.
The referrer takes no part in assessing them.
6. SCREENING AND ACCOMMODATION
6.1 Screening uses written, job-related criteria set before the role
is advertised, applied the same way to every applicant.
6.2 Every invitation to interview or assessment explains how to ask
for an accommodation. Requests go to [role] and are not shared
with interviewers beyond what they need to provide it.
6.3 No question about health, disability or medical history is asked
before a conditional offer.
7. STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS AND SCORECARDS
7.1 Before interviews start, [the hiring manager and recruiter] agree
the interview plan: stages, competencies, the questions for each
competency and the rating scale.
7.2 Every candidate for the role is asked the same core questions.
Follow-up questions probe the answer; they do not change the topic.
7.3 Each interviewer submits a written scorecard with evidence for
each rating within [24 hours] and before the debrief.
7.4 Interviewers sign the interviewer code of conduct before their
first interview and complete [training].
7.5 [Interview recording or AI note-taking follows the interview
recording policy and the AI use policy.]
8. ASSESSMENTS AND TESTS
8.1 Skills tests and work samples are used only if they measure
what the job requires, are the same for every candidate at that
stage, and can be adapted as an accommodation.
9. DECISION
9.1 The hiring manager decides after a debrief that reviews the
evidence against the competencies. [The recruiter / HR] may
pause a decision that is not supported by the scorecards.
9.2 The reason for each decision is recorded in [the ATS].
10. REFERENCES AND CHECKS
10.1 References are taken [after a conditional offer / at final
stage] with the candidate's agreement, using the standard form.
10.2 Background checks and drug tests follow their own policies.
11. OFFERS
11.1 Offers within the approved range are approved by [role]; above
the range or with a sign-on bonus, by [role].
11.2 Verbal offers are confirmed in writing within [1] working day.
12. CANDIDATE COMMUNICATION
12.1 Every applicant receives an acknowledgment. Candidates who
interviewed are told the outcome within [x] working days.
13. RECORDS AND DATA
13.1 Requisitions, ads, applications, interview notes, scorecards,
test results and offer records are kept for [period, at least
one year from the hiring decision] and longer while any claim,
charge or audit is open, then deleted.
13.2 Candidate data is used only for recruitment, as described in
our candidate privacy notice.
14. MONITORING
14.1 [TA] reviews, every [quarter], applicant flow and selection rates
by stage and [sex, race and ethnicity where collected] for
signs of adverse impact, and reports to [role].
15. EXCEPTIONS
15.1 Any departure from this policy is approved in writing by [role]
before it happens, with the reason recorded.
16. REVIEW
16.1 [Owner] reviews this policy every [12] months and when a law
where we hire changes.Which template carries out each clause?
A policy that says "use structured interviews" without saying how gets ignored. Use this appendix to point each clause at the working document.
Which federal rules does the policy answer to?
| Clause | Source | What it requires |
|---|---|---|
| 1.2, 4.2, 4.4 | EEOC, prohibited employment policies and practices | No job ads that show a preference for or discourage people based on a protected characteristic; word-of-mouth recruitment can be unlawful if it keeps the workforce mostly one group |
| 6.2, 8.1 | 42 U.S.C. § 12112(b)(5) to (7) | Reasonable accommodation for qualified applicants unless it is an undue hardship; selection criteria that screen out people with disabilities must be job related and consistent with business necessity; tests given so results reflect the skill measured |
| 6.3 | 42 U.S.C. § 12112(d)(2) and (3) | No disability-related questions or medical exams before a conditional offer; questions about the ability to do job-related functions are allowed |
| 13.1 | 29 C.F.R. § 1602.14 | Keep personnel records one year from the record or the action, whichever is later, and until any charge or lawsuit ends |
| 13.1 | 29 C.F.R. § 1627.3(b)(1) | Keep job applications, job orders sent to agencies, test papers and job advertisements for one year |
| 14.1 | 29 C.F.R. § 1607.4 (Uniform Guidelines) | Keep information on the adverse impact of selection procedures by sex and race or ethnic group; a selection rate below four-fifths of the highest group's rate is generally treated as evidence of adverse impact |
Federal contractors have additional job listing and recordkeeping duties; see job posting requirements for federal contractors. The written commitment in clause 1.2 is often published separately as an equal employment opportunity policy.
Check your state. Clauses 4.2, 4.3, 10 and 13 change most by location.
- Pay in ads and pay history: pay transparency by state and salary history bans.
- Criminal history and credit: ban-the-box rules, with state pages such as California, Illinois and New York, and credit check laws.
- Everything at hire: the state hiring checklists, for example California, Colorado, New York, Texas and Washington.
How do you use this template?
- Make the choices in brackets first: internal posting window, approval chain, offer authority, feedback deadline and retention period. Write them down before drafting so the policy describes what you will actually do.
- Fill in the appendix with your own versions of each form. If a clause has no working document, either create one or delete the clause.
- Check each location against the state box above and with counsel, and add location rules as a separate appendix rather than rewriting the clauses.
- Publish it where hiring managers work, in the ATS or the manager handbook, and link it from the requisition form.
- Audit a sample each quarter: five closed requisitions, checked for an approved requisition, a posted range, the same core questions, scorecards submitted before the debrief, and an offer approved at the right level.
Where do recruitment policies usually break?
- Exceptions without a record. Clause 15 exists because the roles filled outside the process are the ones challenged later.
- Scorecards written after the debrief. By then they record the group's view, not the interviewer's evidence.
- Pay ranges set after the offer. A range that moves to fit the chosen candidate defeats clause 4.3 and pay transparency laws.
- A policy no one has read. Interviewers learn the process from the invite and the scorecard, so the forms matter more than the prose.
Questions people ask
What should a recruitment and selection policy include?
It should cover the whole path from requisition to offer: who approves a new or replacement role, whether jobs are posted internally first, rules for job ads, job descriptions and pay ranges, how agencies and referrals are used, structured interviews with written scorecards, references and background checks, who may approve an offer, how candidates are told no, how records are kept, and how the process is monitored for adverse impact.
How long do hiring records have to be kept under federal law?
Covered employers keep hiring and personnel records for at least one year from when the record was made or the personnel action taken, whichever is later, under 29 C.F.R. § 1602.14, and until any charge or lawsuit is resolved. ADEA rules in 29 C.F.R. § 1627.3 also cover job ads, job orders sent to agencies and applicant test papers for one year. Some states require longer.
Does the law require structured interviews?
No federal statute requires them. Federal law does require that selection criteria and tests which screen out people with disabilities be job related and consistent with business necessity, and the Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures expect employers to track the adverse impact of their selection procedures. Structured, scored interviews make both much easier to show.
Should internal candidates see open jobs before external candidates?
It is a policy choice, not a legal requirement for most private employers. One option is an internal-only window of a set length, for example five working days, before advertising externally, which gives current staff a first look. The trade-off is time to hire and a narrower pool, so the policy should say which roles are exempt, such as urgent backfills or roles with no internal pipeline.