A hiring process should set out the steps to follow for filling all positions. Best practice is for the process to be outlined in a policy. The steps in a hiring process typically include: describing the position and setting selection criteria, advertising/posting, assessing applications (short listing), interviewing, checking references, and making job offers.

Unfairness in the hiring process may result from: skipping one or more of these steps, following different steps for different positions, and allowing unconscious bias to influence decisions at one or more of the steps. Non-profits should actively seek to avoid such unfairness.