The ultimate guide to intake meetings (with questions)

What are intake meetings?

Intake meetings are the initial strategy meetings that are conducted between a hiring manager and team members, in order to discuss the goals and objectives that should be met during the recruiting process (read how you can create a structured recruiting process). It is an introductory meeting, held during the initial phase of the recruitment process and can be initiated by any one of the parties involved.

Why are intake meetings needed?

Intake meetings play an important role in optimizing the hiring process as they provide assistance in gaining a better understanding of the skills of a successful candidate. Moreover, they improve the overall candidate experience, increase the probability of a diverse applicant pool and lower the risk of turnover by setting both the selected candidates and organizations up for success.

Goals of intake meetings

The purpose of an intake meeting is to develop a successful hiring process as they provide clarity and direction for both the hiring managers and the team members. They are held to ensure that both the recruiter and hiring manager are as aligned as possible on key elements of the hiring process such as:

1. Job requirements and description.
2. The ideal time to hire.
3. Job title.
4. Salary range and data.
5. Hiring stages.
6. Interview process.
7. Assessments and assignments.
8. Strategies and must-haves
9. Do's and don'ts for a hassle-free recruiting process.

Who is involved in the Intake Meeting?

It varies from organization to organization, any one of the following combinations is usually involved in the intake meeting:

1. HR and team members
2. Hiring manager and HR
3. Hiring manager and team members
4. Recruiters and hiring managers.
5. HR recruiting/talent acquisition team member and a hiring manager.

Note: These combinations are not restricted and can be changed according to the organization's and job's requirements.

The benefits of Intake Meetings

One of the major benefits of intake meetings is a successful recruitment process. It is nice to have these meetings, prior to the start of the recruitment process as it helps both the recruiters and hiring managers to be on the same page, set clear expectations, and discuss main responsibilities, in order to find the qualified candidate.

How to prepare for Intake Meetings?

While preparing for intake meetings, it is important for recruiters to cover the following steps:

1. Job description and requirements: Have a clear understanding of what is the role, what are the responsibilities, and what is required in an ideal candidate. Review the job description from start to end and have a clear picture of the right candidate.
2. Job ad and job opening: Find the right time and platform for job openings, research ahead of time, from where you can easily attract a large pool of top talent.
3. Set hiring stage and timeline: Formulate the overall hiring process, set the timeline for each stage of the process, and have a clear knowledge of pre and post-requirements for each stage.
4. Set expectations: Make it clear what responsibilities will be required from the hiring team and when.
5. Gather and review: Evaluate the overall process, what are the weak points that need improvements.
6. Research market and salary data: Gather data to identify the market rate for each open position, based on the job requirements and candidate profile, and discuss how much budget approval will be needed.

What is a Recruiting Intake form?

A recruiting intake form is a document that is used in the recruitment process, to gather key information about the open position and set expectations for recruiting during the hiring process. It is a questionnaire that contains a range of questions related to the open roles, ideal candidate, overall hiring process, screening and sourcing strategies, and interview timeline in order to help the hiring managers and recruiters understand the job requirements. The recruiters usually send the intake form to the hiring manager, before the meeting but it is completed together as a concerted effort.

Essential Elements on Recruiting Intake Forms

Recruiting intake form usually includes several essential elements, including:

1. Background information: This part of the form usually provide the team members with basic information including the hiring manager's expectations, job title, job level, requirements for the ideal candidate, and some additional information about the role, including the department of the position and reason for the new hire.
2. Salary range and benefits: In this section usually a budget or a salary range for the new role is decided. It includes information about the key benefits of the open role. Additional information about the benefits and compensations can also be included in this section, such as bonuses, leaves, flexible hours, remote work, etc.
3. Communication: This section may include writing down the methods and platforms that will be used in order to keep the potential candidates engaged during the recruitment process, such as back-and-forth emails, phone calls, messages, etc.
4. Interview process: This part of the form may include data such as a timeline for the interview process, questions, and persons included in the interview.
5. Assessments and tests: What types of tests will be included depending upon the open role, what will be the timeline for those tests, and who will be responsible for conducting these tests, all this relevant information will be gathered in this section of the form.
6. Sourcing and screening: Which methods and platforms will be used to source and attract top talent, and which places should recruiters look for qualified candidates such as universities, institutes, etc?

Sample questions to ask hiring managers during intake meetings

Following are some sample questions that might be helpful for you to keep in mind during intake meetings:

Open position questions

These can include questions related to the open role such as:

Q1. What is the need to hire for this role?

Q2. What are the main challenges that someone has to face in this role?

Q3. What are the key points a candidate has to keep in mind regarding this position?

Q4. Is this a new position or a replacement?

Ideal candidate questions

‍Questions related to what is expected of an ideal candidate can be included, such as:

Q1. Who is an ideal candidate from your perspective?

Q2. How would you describe your best employee, what traits should they possess?

Job responsibilities questions

‍This can include questions related to the job tasks and duties required by a candidate, such as:

Q1. What are the key requirements of this role?

Q2. What are the 3 main responsibilities the new hire will have?

Process questions

‍Questions on deciding the stages of the process, their outcomes, and key learnings will be included here, such as:

Q1. What training methodologies are required for this role?

Q2. What career path have you decided on for this role?

Q3. What pipeline do you have for this role?

Skills questions

‍Questions related to the required qualifications and skills for a qualified candidate are included here, such as:

Q1. What skills do you expect in an ideal candidate?

Q2. What are the qualifications that the candidate must have? Why?

Q3. What are some nice-to-have skills that are a bonus, if the candidate has them?

Culture questions

‍This includes questions related to the cultural requirements, such as:

Q1. What do we want this person to add to the company culture?

Q2. What cultural capabilities this candidate should possess?

Q3. Can you describe the company's working schedule and environment?

Time frame questions

‍Questions on deciding the timeline and duration will be included here, such as:

Q1. What is expected from the new hire in the first 30 days?

Q2. When do you want the new hire to start working on small projects, ideally?

Note: These questions are just example or sample questions, just for a rough idea, and can be altered and modified according to job requirements and the company's needs.

Best Practices for a Successful Intake Meeting

Following are some best practices for a successful intake meeting that will lead to a successful recruitment process:

1. Gather all relevant data and come prepared for the meeting.
2. Make sure to tick all background checks beforehand.
3. Discuss all pros and cons of the main elements of the meeting.
4. Make sure all requirements are clear and understood at the end of the meeting and everyone is on the same page.
5. Present all the required and necessary details to the hiring manager.

Steps to take after an intake meeting

At the end of the meeting, make sure all requirements and details are covered, everything is summarized and a summary report is sent to the respective people. Build your sourcing, screening, and interviewing strategies. Keep in touch with the hiring managers and give them updates and feedback from time to time. Last but the most important one is to keep an eye on the time and deadline.

Postface

Intake meeting serves as transparent and ideal working relationship between recruiters and hiring managers and when done correctly, intake meetings can help you select the best candidate and boost your overall hiring process.