Businesses operating in Virginia have access to a range of talent hubs coming from Delaware, Pennsylvania, the Carolinas and Maryland as well as Virginia itself. Virginia is one of the leading job providers in the industries of agriculture, mining, tech, military and aerospace.
That being said, the state employment requirements and the high standards of employees working in Virginia can make it challenging to hire an employee in Virginia.
To make an effective hire in Virginia, follow the guidelines of this post and present new hires with all federally required forms and information.
Evaluate the Job You Are Offering in Virginia
To make skilled hires in Virginia, you must be sure that the compensation you're offering is appropriate for the area you operate in and the level of experience you want from candidates. This can differ throughout the different cities in Virginia.
Along with the actual compensation offered, you should evaluate other job characteristics that talented candidates will be interested in, like:
- The level of autonomy, creative control or budgetary discretion they will have
- Health benefits, retirement and other business perks
- The tools and resources they will have access to
- Your company's reputation as an employer
You can use Glassdoor Salaries to see the salary range for the position you're offering in your area and ensure that you aren't marketing a job that is impossible to hire.
[Related: Glassdoor's Guide to Salary Conversations]
Hiring an Employee in Virginia
The salary you're offering needs to be appropriate when you're hiring an employee in Virginia, but your open job also needs to be marketed in the right way.
People working in some of Virginia's most popular industries expect a lot from their employer, and will pass on job opportunities that don't align with their salary expectations or needs.
Many companies hiring in Virginia devote much more of their job descriptions to requirements and responsibilities. Thus, you can cut through the noise by appealing to readers and explaining your company's culture, rather than enumerating job requirements.
When your job advertising speaks to readers at a high level and is more geared toward explaining what your company offers as an employer, it will impress candidates who know they are qualified for your open roles. You can get into more specifics once they have applied, but to get their interest in the first place, it is best to summarize requirements that will be understood by high-level candidates.
To see some examples of how jobs are being marketed in your area, you can search Glassdoor Jobs for the position you're hiring for, and get some ideas for your job description.
Finding and Evaluating Employees in Virginia
When evaluating candidates for an open job, it's important to think about fit, both in terms of the work that a candidate will do and in terms of their fit with your company.
No matter how proficient a candidate is at completing the work you need done, they won't be retained in the long term if they don't experience fit with your company or their coworkers. Because of this, candidates should be evaluated for:
- Technical skill to complete work required by the role
- Aspirational fit with work required by the role
- Personality fit with coworkers and direct managers
- Personal and ethical fit with your company
When interviewing candidates, it is important that you do not ask any questions that are considered discriminatory on the basis or race, gender, gender identity, religion, age or other demographic information that is protected by discrimination law.
Comply with Virginia State Employment Standards
Virginia is generally considered a fairly employer-friendly state. While there are significantly fewer barriers to hiring, all employers must comply with the basic standards and regulations.
Here are the employment requirements that all employers must meet in Virginia when hiring a new employee:
Federal and State Employment Posters in Virginia
Employers in Virginia are required to display both federal and state employment posters. These posters will vary by statute and business type.
- Virginia Unemployment Compensation Act (UC)
- Virginia Occupational Safety and Health Act (VOSH)
- Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS)
- Virginia Workers' Compensation (VWC)
- Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
- Employee Polygraph Protection Act (EPPA)
- Service Contract Act and Public Contractors Act
- Davis-Bacon Construction Contracts Act
- Family Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA)
- Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act (MSPA)
- Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)
- Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA)
Employees in Virginia must be presented with the following forms and informational pamphlets as they undergo new hire orientation. Forms must be filled out completely, unless these forms are specific claims and informational resources must be read completely by new employees:
- I-9, Employment Eligibility Form
- W-4, Federal Tax Withholding Form
- VA-4 Employee's Withholding Exemption Certificate
- Disability Self-Identification Form (if business is done with government)
- Combined Employer's Registration Form
- Virginia New Hire Reporting Form
- Employers must follow all requirements of Virginia's New Hire Reporting Program.
What Information is required in a new hire report in Virginia?
The following information must be included in the report of new hires:
- Company name
- Company address
- Company federal tax ID number
- Employee's name
- Employee's social security number
- Employee's address
- First day of paid work
Employers must deposit and report federal employment taxes to the IRS by following IRS procedures for payroll reporting and payment.
- Follow all Virginia EEO standards during the hiring process.
New Hire Checklist and Reporting in Virginia
There's a lot to keep track of when making a new hire in Virginia, so you can use this checklist to help you as you hire new employees
Required Employment Forms in Virginia
The new hire has signed the following forms:
- Signed Job Offer Letter
- W2 Tax Form
- I-9 Form and Supporting Documents
- Direct Deposit Authorization Form (Template)
- Federal W-4 Form
- VA-4 Employee's Withholding Exemption Certificate
- Virginia New Hire Reporting Form
- Employee Personal Data Form (Template)
- Company Health Insurance Policy Forms
- Disability Self-Identification Form (if business is done with government)
- Company Non-Disclosure Agreement (if applicable)
Virginia Payroll Tax and Reporting Requirements
- Report new employees within 20 days of start of their work date with a Report of New Employee(s)
- Deposit and report federal employment taxes to the IRS by following IRS procedures for payroll reporting and payment
You should also check with your city and country to see if they have any other requirements for the hiring of new employees and any employment standards in addition to the statewide requirements.
