Why is it important to always involve human resources during any hiring process? What are some recommendations to make sure that human resources are always involve in the hiring process of new employees?

Human resources should be involved in the hiring process for the following reasons:

• To comply with local, state and federal law in the interview process, especially in terms of following equal opportunity guidelines and those of any regulatory agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
• To ensure that an interviewer is following company procedures as outlined in the employee policy manual, including asking questions about a candidate's education, experience and future goals and how they relate to the position
• To ensure that an interviewer is asking question that are open-ended in nature, such as "tell me about an assignment you completed that you were particularly satisfied with" or "what do you do in your first 30 minutes when arriving at work and preparing for your day?"
• To ensure that an interviewer is not asking improper questions, for example, personal questions like those related to marital status
• To make sure that a candidate has been properly informed if passing any drug screening is a requirement for employment
• To reinforce the concept that an interviewer should avoid using the word "offer" until there has been a decision to hire the candidate

Recommendations that make sure that human resources personnel are always involved in the hiring process of new employees include:

• Having the requirement clearly stated in the company policy manual and reaffirming its instructions for hiring new employees in a company meeting or newsletter
• Publishing a company procedure for hiring new employees and have hiring managers sign off that they have read and understood the requirements
• Insisting on objectivity and that the company code of conduct is always followed when interviewing and hiring.
• Restating the need for a human resources representative to be present in all interviews, if possible, to avoid an undesirable perception of the company, the open position or company employees in general.