How should a company run its hiring process? A 7-step framework that shows at a glance where you're stuck
Corporate recruiting can be broken into 7 steps: define the need → write the job description and salary band → choose channels → proactive sourcing → screening and first conversations → interviews and decision → offer to onboarding. Most roles go unfilled not because the whole process is broken, but because it's stuck at one or two of these steps. Walk through the framework below step by step and you'll see where you're stuck, which steps to handle yourself, and which are quicker to hand to a professional consultant.
1Hiring process overview: 7 steps in one table
| Step | What this step should produce | Where people get stuck most |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Define the need | What problem this person needs to solve; must-have and nice-to-have requirements | The manager can't explain it clearly and the requirements keep changing |
| 2. Job description and salary range | Job descriptions and salary ranges written for job seekers | Pay below market, or only listed as “negotiable” |
| 3. Choose channels | Decide which channels to use to find people | Relying on a single channel, you'll be waiting forever |
| 4. Proactive sourcing | The list: who might fit and how to reach them | You don't know where the people are, or they don't reply when contacted |
| 5. Screening and first conversation | Confirm interest, terms, and salary expectations | Lots of résumés but none fit, and screening wears you out |
| 6. Interviews and decision | The hire/no-hire decision | Decisions are too slow, and good candidates get snapped up by others |
| 7. From offer to start date | Salary and start date agreed, and the person actually shows up to work | Salary talks break down, or the candidate backs out before starting |
As you read, ask yourself: which step is your opening stuck on right now? Below we go through how to do each step and the signs that tell you it's stuck.
2Steps 1–2: Requirements and the job description decide whether you'll find anyone
Define the need: first confirm with the hiring manager what this person must achieve in their first year, then work backward to the must-haves. The fewer must-haves the better—three to five is usually enough, and everything else is a plus. List too many, and the person may simply not exist in the market.
Job description and salary band: A job description is written for job seekers. It needs to clearly cover the work, the team, growth, and terms — it isn't an internal job specification. Research the market before setting the salary band; an opening priced too low will get stuck at every later step of the process. In Taiwan, for openings with regular wages below NT$40,000, the salary range must by law be published or disclosed — you can't just write "negotiable" (Taiwan's Employment Service Act, Article 5, Paragraph 2, Subparagraph 6).
Signs you're stuck: the requirements have changed two or more times since the role opened, interviewers use different standards, and candidates go quiet after reading the job post.
3Step 3: Choose channels — don't just wait for applications
Common channels fall into three tiers: free channels (internal referrals, social media, and Taiwan Jobs, the government job portal), paid listings (104, 1111, LinkedIn, etc.), and outsourcing to professionals (recruitment agencies, headhunters, staffing firms). We've compiled the costs and best-fit situations for each in How companies find talent, including the official listing prices for 104, 1111 and LinkedIn.
Signs you're stuck: the same opening has been posted for over a month and most résumés you receive don't fit. This usually means the right people aren't applying at all, and you need to switch to proactive sourcing.
4Step 4: Proactive sourcing — where headhunting consultants put in the most effort
Proactive sourcing means not waiting for people to come to you but going out and finding them. Professional headhunting consultants generally do it like this:
- Draw a talent map: list which companies and positions this kind of talent is likely in right now.
- Multi-channel outreach: talent databases, professional networks such as LinkedIn, industry referrals and public industry information.
- A compelling first message: the person isn't looking for a job, so the message has to make them want to talk, not just drop a job link.
- Ongoing follow-up: Many people say "not right now" the first time, but their situation changes a few months later.
This stage takes the most time and requires the most experience and connections. For the full headhunting search process, see How headhunters find people.
Signs you're stuck: you don't know where to start looking, you've messaged a dozen-plus people with no replies, or HR is juggling too many openings to get to it.
5Step 5: Screening and first conversations, confirm three things first
A résumé that looks right doesn't mean the candidate will come. In the first conversation, confirm three things: why they're considering a move, their expected salary and terms, and when they can start. If any one of these clearly doesn't fit, don't move on to interviews. It saves time for both sides.
Signs you're stuck: you've scheduled lots of interviews but terms never come together, or candidates say halfway through that they don't really want to move after all.
6Step 6: Interviews and decisions—speed is your competitive edge
Good candidates are usually weighing several opportunities at once. Don't add more interview rounds than necessary, and give feedback as quickly as possible after each one. Interviewers should agree on scoring criteria in advance, so they don't each focus on different things and end up unable to convince one another.
Signs you're stuck: more than two weeks from the first interview to a response, managers who can't make a decision, and candidates who have already accepted another offer by the time yours goes out.
7Step 7: From offer to start date—the last mile is where you most easily lose people
Salary negotiations should look at total compensation, including the year-end bonus, other bonuses and allowances, not just monthly pay. Between the offer and the start date, keep in touch with the candidate, because their current employer will often make a counteroffer during this period. After they start, set clear goals and feedback for the probation period; the job isn't done the day someone joins.
Signs you're stuck: candidates backing out after accepting an offer, or leaving shortly after starting.
8Self-check: should you hire for this role yourself, or get help?
If two or more of the five questions below apply, handing this role to a professional consultant is usually more cost-effective than continuing to struggle on your own:
- The role has been open for over a month and no candidates have reached the interview stage
- Most résumés received don't meet the requirements
- Candidates have declined after interviews or backed out before starting more than once
- HR is juggling many openings and has no time to search for people proactively
- This role is confidential and can't be advertised publicly
Conversely, if the role is attractive enough and the right people apply once you post it, just hire yourself—there's no need to pay extra.
9FAQ
How long does a typical hiring process take?
There's no fixed timeline; it mainly depends on the role's difficulty, salary competitiveness, and decision speed. Entry-level roles may be filled within weeks, while senior or rare roles can take several months. The most common causes of delay are an unclear need at step 1 and slow decisions at step 6.
How can a small company without dedicated HR run its hiring process?
Get steps 1 and 2 right first, with the owner or manager defining the need and the salary range themselves. Steps 3 and 4 take the most time and can be handed to a recruitment agency or headhunter. For steps 5 to 7, the manager takes part in interviews and salary negotiation personally.
How do you calculate hiring costs?
Beyond posting or agency fees, you also need to count the time HR and managers spend and the cost of the position sitting empty. For the full calculation, see How to calculate recruitment costs.
When do I pay if I hire a consultant to find someone?
Most recruitment outsourcing and headhunting is contingency-based, charged only when the candidate starts. Under Taiwanese regulations, placement fees can only be collected after the employment contract takes effect (Article 4 of Taiwan's Regulations on the Permission and Management of Private Employment Service Institutions).
Not sure which step you're stuck on? Let a consultant take a look first
Tell us about the role, and a consultant will tell you plainly where things are stuck and whether to hire in-house or outsource. If doing it yourself is enough, we'll say so.
Talk with a consultant on LINERelated reading: How employers find talent · How headhunters find candidates · What is recruitment outsourcing? · How to calculate recruitment costs
Stuck on a hire? Tell us the role and headcount, and we'll help you see which step it's stuck at.
Take the hiring-model assessment first Ask a consultant on LINE・Taiwan's Employment Service Act, Article 5 (Laws & Regulations Database) (accessed 2026-10-19)
・Regulations on the Permission and Management of Private Employment Services Institutions (Taiwan Laws & Regulations Database) (accessed 2026-10-19)