What to Do Before the First Interview: A Small Business Owner’s Guide to Hiring Smarter

Hiring the right person is one of the most important decisions a business owner can make. Yet too often, companies jump into interviews without a solid plan leading to inconsistent decisions, costly missteps, and poor long-term hires.

Before you sit down with your first candidate, take the time to put the right foundation in place. At The Hazel Group, we help small and mid-sized businesses design hiring strategies that lead to better outcomes and stronger teams. Here's how to set yourself up for success:

1. Start With a Clear, Accurate Job Description

Why it matters: A well-crafted job description doesn’t just attract candidates, it defines the role internally. It helps you communicate expectations, measure performance, and build an aligned hiring process from day one.

What to include:

• Core responsibilities

• Required and preferred skills

• Experience level

• Values and soft skills that matter

• Key success metrics

Tip: Don’t recycle generic templates. Build each description around your actual business needs and how the role will contribute to growth. Hiring is an investment in your business.

2. Define a Salary Band That Aligns With the Role and Market

Why it matters: A transparent, competitive salary band ensures fairness, attracts stronger talent, and saves time in the offer stage. It also helps you budget and plan for future growth.

What to consider:

• Market rates for similar roles in your region/industry

• Internal equity across your team

• Scope of responsibility and expertise needed

• Your current business stage and budget

Tip: Use salary research tools and adjust for part-time, fractional, or specialized roles as needed.

3. Create a Structured Interview Plan

Why it matters: Have you ever interviewed multiple people for a role and after all the time and effort, had no clear choice to offer the role? Unstructured interviews create inconsistency and bias. A clear plan ensures every candidate is evaluated fairly, based on the same criteria, and aligned to the needs of the role.

What to prepare:

• Standard interview questions

• A scorecard or rubric for evaluation

• Defined rounds (e.g., phone screen, technical, culture fit)

• Focused questions tied directly to the job description

Tip: Use the same interview questions and format with each candidate. This helps you compare responses objectively.

4. Document Your Onboarding Process

Why it matters: Hiring isn’t complete when someone accepts the offer. A strong onboarding plan helps new hires ramp up faster, feel more confident, and integrate into the team which leads to better long-term retention.

What to include:

• First-day and first-week checklists

• System access and introductions

• Clear 30/60/90-day goals

• Performance milestones and feedback checkpoints

Tip: Create a reusable onboarding template that outlines key responsibilities, tools, and outcomes for each role type.

How The Hazel Group Can Help

Hiring the right person isn’t just about luck, it’s about having the right strategy. At The Hazel Group, we help business owners build:

• Role-specific job descriptions

• Salary guidance based on market and role demands

• Interview scripts and scorecards for fair evaluations

• Onboarding processes that set employees up for success

We offer these as one-time project-based services, giving you the tools and guidance to confidently manage your hiring process now and in the future.

It’s a smart investment in long-term employee success, lower turnover, and stronger customer satisfaction.

Ready to Hire Smarter?

Contact The Hazel Group to learn how we can help you build your hiring strategy the right way—from day one.