Hiring guides for small businesses and founders
Practical guides for first hires, job ads and quick screening, written for teams without an HR department.
If you run a small business, you often hire without an HR team and without much time. These guides cover how to make a first hire, write a clear job ad, screen applications quickly and avoid costly mis-hires. Each guide includes templates and steps you can use the same day.
Latest guides
What to do when too many people apply: a method for 200 applications
Got 200 applications and one hire to make? Use this step-by-step method to set limits, check fairly, sort by evidence and reply to everyone on…
What to do when no one applies: a checklist for slow hiring
Not getting applicants? Diagnose the ad, pay, location, channels and process with this checklist, then fix the biggest problem first and measure again.
How to hire for culture without hiring clones
Hire for values, not sameness. Define culture as behaviours, ask fair questions, score them, and avoid the bias hidden inside the phrase culture fit.
How to handle a counter-offer from a candidate’s employer
A candidate says their employer made a counter-offer. What do you do? Ask early, respond calmly, avoid pressure, set walk-away rules and keep a backup.
How to keep your best candidate warm while you decide
How to keep a strong candidate interested while you decide: set expectations, update on a rhythm, use message templates and be honest about limits.
How to turn down a candidate kindly and clearly: templates
Plain templates and rules for turning down a job candidate: timing, wording after a CV or interview, feedback, and safe record keeping.
How to avoid hiring friends and family by mistake
Should you hire friends and family? A plain guide to the risks, a fair process, conflict rules, and what to do if you still want…
Pay transparency laws: what small employers must put in a job ad
Do you have to put salary in a job ad? A plain guide to US state laws, the EU pay transparency directive and UK practice,…
How to set a fair salary for a small business role
A step-by-step method to set a fair salary range for a new hire: use official data, build a range, check pay equity, and explain it.
Do you need a probation period? How it works in each country
Do you need a probation period? A plain guide to what it is, how it differs in the US, UK and EU, how to run…
How to check the right to work: US, UK and EU basics
A plain guide to right to work checks for small employers in the US, UK and EU: what to check, when, what to keep, and…
How to check references without breaking rules or trust
Check references fairly in five steps: ask consent, use the same questions, record answers and respect data rules in the US, UK and EU.