People & Leadership
The first hire is one of the most expensive decisions a small business makes
Get it wrong and you lose money, months and often your own confidence in delegating at all. This session covers deciding whether to hire, defining the role honestly, interviewing without a HR function, and the first ninety days that decide whether it works.
Explore this page6 sections
Many first hires go wrong for reasons decided before the person arrived.
The role was never defined, the expectations were never stated, nobody had time to train them, and success was never described — so three months later there is an unhappy employee, an exhausted owner, and a conclusion that good people cannot be found.
Almost all of that is preventable, and none of it requires a HR department.
Getting it right
34 topics across 6 areas. Six decisions.
Whether to Hire at AllThe alternatives are often better first.5 topics
- Is the work permanent or a spike?
- Could it be outsourced or automated?
- Is it a full role or parts of several?
- Can you afford them for six months if revenue dips?
- What will you stop doing when they arrive?
Hiring to relieve pressure without deciding what you will hand over produces two busy people instead of one.
Defining the Role HonestlyWhat the job actually is, not what it sounds like.5 topics
- What will they do in a normal week?
- What does success look like at ninety days?
- Who do they report to and ask?
- What decisions can they make alone?
- What does the job not include?
Finding CandidatesWithout a recruitment budget.6 topics
- Referrals from people you trust
- Local networks and communities
- Job portals, and what to expect from them
- Interns who have already worked with you
- Rehiring somebody who left well
- Being specific in the advertisement
Interviewing Without a HR FunctionA structure beats a conversation.6 topics
Ask every candidate the same core questions, take notes, and score afterwards. Otherwise you will hire whoever you enjoyed talking to.
- The same questions for everyone
- Evidence rather than claims
- A small practical task
- A conversation about expectations
- Reference checks, actually done
- Deciding against criteria set in advance
The Offer and the StartWhere informality causes later disputes.6 topics
- A written offer with the role, pay and terms
- Probation, stated clearly
- What documentation is needed
- Statutory obligations for a small employer — including the written appointment letter the new labour codes call for
- Provident fund and ESI, and whether your headcount triggers them
- The start date, and what is ready for them
The First Ninety DaysWhere a good hire is made or lost.6 topics
- Somebody responsible for them in week one
- What they will produce in the first month
- Weekly check-ins, short and regular
- Feedback early rather than saved up
- A ninety-day review against what you defined
- Acting quickly if it is clearly wrong
Signs a first hire is going wrong
- You are still doing the work you hired them for
- You have not given feedback because you are avoiding it
- They are busy and you cannot say what they produced
- You are surprised by how they spend their time
- Nobody has told them what success looks like
What it actually costs
- Salary and statutory contributions
- Your time training them, for months
- The mistakes they will make while learning
- Equipment and space
- The cost of it not working, and starting again
- Budget for six months before they contribute fully
How the session runs
An owner who has hired well and badly describes both. Participants then define one role properly — what it does, what success is at ninety days, and what they will stop doing — and draft the interview questions they will ask every candidate. It is common to find that the role you thought you were hiring for is actually two. The labour codes and what applies at your size are for your professional, not this session.
What your students leave with
- A clear decision on whether to hire at all
- One role defined properly, with success stated at ninety days
- A structured interview they can repeat
- A written offer covering the terms that cause later disputes
- A first-ninety-days plan
- A realistic view of what the hire actually costs
Scheduled sessions
Nothing scheduled yet
Sessions are arranged with a college once a date is agreed. Ask us and we will find the right person for it.
A student rather than a college? See what is coming up, or ask your placement team to host this.
Start a conversation
Ask for this session
Tell us who you are and what you have in mind. A person reads it and writes back, usually within two working days.
- Tell us what you need
A topic or a question is enough to start.
- A person replies
Usually within two working days.
- Agree the next step
We work out the details together.
Many first hires go wrong for reasons decided before the person arrived.
Tell us who your students are and what stage they are at. Sessions are free for participants.