Updated November 2024
Starting a small business requires determination, adaptability, grit, and creative problem-solving. It’s a proud moment when small business owners realize it’s time to hire employees. However, it also presents a tough new challenge—finding and shaping the right individuals to build on what you’ve created.
When you go beyond what you need from your talent right now and start thinking about what you’ll need in five years, you’ll be in great shape finding new employees that can help grow your small business.
As our culture analyst Eloise DiMase-Nordling says, finding the right candidate starts with “having a clear understanding not only of where you’re going” as a business, “but also how you’re going to get there.” Your company’s purpose and mission will be the bedrock of your long-term plan.
Following a structured hiring process ensures you can deliver on your business goals and find the best new employees for your small business.
Step 1: Pre-Hire Preparation
A common mistake small business owners make is rushing through the hiring process. You may need someone right away, but when the process of finding a great candidate is rushed, you set yourself up for employee turnover or a regrettable hire.
Create a hiring timeline before the process begins to help you streamline your hire without skipping any steps. This timeline should include your:
- Job posting date
- Application deadline
- Screening and interview schedule
- Decision and offer deadline
- Onboarding timeline
Once you have your hiring timeline, you’re almost ready to get started! Next, you need to evaluate your business needs.
1. Evaluate Your Business Needs
Take a moment and consider what your business needs from this new employee. You may be used to wearing several hats and jumping from task to task, but which of those skills is essential for your new hire?
You also need to think about your potential employee and how this position will meet their career goals. Why would someone be willing to become the first employee for a small business? How can you make this role attractive to qualified candidates?
Before you start hiring, ask yourself these two questions:
- What is the vision, purpose, and value of your company—why does it exist in the first place?
- For the position itself, how will this person come in and add to the company’s success?
By approaching the job role from both points of view, you set yourself up to identify and recruit the right talent for the job.
⇒ ULTIMATE GUIDE: HOW TO HIRE EMPLOYEES ⇐
Step 2: Recruit Candidates
Now you’re ready to let job seekers know you have a position open. Your goal in sourcing job candidates is to reach the widest possible audience of job seekers while targeting the best matches for the role and the company culture you aim to build.
You achieve this by writing a clear, specific, and targeted job description and advertising it on well-populated job search networks.
1. Write a Job Description
Your job description is the first pre-qualifier for potential candidates. You want to avoid wasting time sorting through unqualified applicants by writing a good job description. Don’t be too general, but also avoid cliches or unnecessary jargon. A clear and accurate job description will help the best candidates find you. You want to include the following:
- Job Title: Make it specific, precise, and descriptive.
- Job Summary: A few sentences to capture the job seekers’ attention.
- List of Responsibilities: What are the position’s core responsibilities?
- Skills and Qualifications: What do they need to be able to do, and what skills are necessary for the job? Include both technical and interpersonal skills (hard skills and soft skills).
- Location: Is this a remote position, will they work on-site, or is a hybrid schedule available? Will travel often be required?
- Pay: What is the pay range you are offering? Is it hourly or salary?
- About Us/Why Work for Us: Use this section to highlight your company values and the kind of culture your organization has. Make candidates excited to join your team!
2. Advertise Your Job Opening
The more people see your job posting, the better for the quality of your pool of candidates. Many popular job posting sites have a free plan for employers, but these do not usually translate into the best cost-benefit for you.
It can be worth it to pay for a well-populated job site like LinkedIn or other job boards. Then, cross-post the listing on your website and all your active social media accounts.
Step 3: Find the Right Fit
As the applications start coming in, your job is to review each one and decide who warrants an interview. While you want candidates who meet most or all of the job requirements, it helps to keep an open mind as you review applicants.
You may see candidates who look perfect on paper but may not be a good match for your company culture.
Our Director of Culture Solutions, Tim Kuppler, knows the importance of a good culture fit. “Naturally, you want to look for a successful, high performer. But you also want to look for someone who can do the job and mesh with the culture well,” Tim says.
As you sort through applicants, keep in mind both the hard skills of the job and the soft skills of being a good team member.
1. Review Resumes
Reviewing resumes is as much an art as a science. Candidates who present neat, error-free, and well-written resumes are a good start. You want to find potential employees who either have relevant experience from a similar position or whose skills will easily translate into what you need them to do.
It’s always wise to check a candidate’s references.
2. Interview Top Candidates
Whether you meet in person or virtually, an interview is an opportunity to determine two critical things.
- Does this candidate have the skills my business needs?
- Is this person a good fit for the culture of my business, including my clients and customers? Do we communicate well, and do I feel comfortable with them?
Here are some strategic interview questions to ask candidates. Tim recommends using these to keep an open mind and reduce unconscious bias. These candidates may demonstrate skills or capabilities not initially anticipated, or show they’ve successfully navigated equally challenging and unclear situations.

Step 4: Hire Your New Small Business Employee
Great news—you identified a qualified employee you would like to add to your business. Congratulations!
Keep in mind that although you are moving forward, the process is not yet over.
“Once they’ve accepted the offer, it doesn’t mean you’re done. Maintaining communication is going to be key,” Eloise says.
Experienced hiring managers will tell you that not every job offer results in a hire.
1. Extend a Job Offer
Generally, you want to extend the job offer over the phone first. Formalizing the details in writing is essential, but a phone call helps you build the candidate’s excitement and gauge their response.
When you call, clearly state that you are extending an offer and share your excitement about them joining the company with specific and positive feedback from the interview process. Ask them how they are feeling and if they have any questions.
Once their questions are answered, ask for verbal acceptance. For example, “if you are ready to come on board and this is a verbal acceptance, I will put together a formal offer letter with all the details and email it to you.”
If the candidate has concerns or isn’t sure, allow them to voice their thoughts.
In your formal offer letter, include a warm welcome, the start date, pay, and benefits (including any paid time off and paid holidays). It is essential to include a response deadline of between two and three days. Job seekers may be interviewing with multiple companies, and you can waste precious time waiting for a response.
If they need to extend the deadline, you can let them know that you would like to hire them but cannot hold the position open for them. Tell them to reach out to you if they are ready to move forward, but in the meantime, you will continue to talk to other candidates.
2. Complete All New Hire Paperwork
Once the job offer is formally accepted, it’s time to collect all the new hire paperwork. This includes a combination of tax and other documents, such as a W-4.
Your state may have a required tax document. If you are paying by direct deposit, you’ll need to get the new hire’s bank information. If you provide benefits, you’ll want to ensure the new hire has all the information they need to use these benefits.
3. Onboard Your New Employee
Over 40% of employers believe the lack of a structured onboarding process has had a negative impact on their company.
But before a small business hires its first employee, ensure you can do so properly. Some steps to make sure you can include:
- Setting up an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Establishing payroll and bookkeeping
- Following any tax requirements
- Familiarize yourself with any local, state, and federal labor laws
- Establish any benefits you may provide to employees
When these are established, you can start to onboard your employees!
Your new hire may be ready to work, but they still need an orientation to your company and its procedures. While some new hires can step in and get things done without much instruction, taking the time to onboard a new employee gets them in the mindset of how you think and how you approach business tasks. It also helps them feel prepared for their new role on your team. A good onboarding program can lead to 69% of employees staying at least 3 years.
There are many parts to the onboarding process, so let’s look at them through three lenses:
- Administrative: Completing paperwork, setting up benefits, and the other logistics of getting a new hire started
- Technical: Training them on the specific skills and tools they need for their job
- Cultural: Helping them understand and integrate into the company’s work environment and values.
Looking at onboarding from these separate lenses can help you ensure your new hire is being taken care of leading up to their first day and beyond. This includes helping new hires build relationships with their supervisor and team and having regular check-ins to maintain expectations and offer feedback.
To learn more, check out our blog Onboarding New Employees in 2025.
Amplify Your Business with the Right Candidates
As your business grows, your role evolves. Initially, you may have been performing skilled labor, marketing, and sales. However, over time and with expansion, you become more of a director who maintains the vision, sets the direction, and ensures other individuals fulfill their roles.
For some small business owners, this transition is welcome. For others, there may be a learning curve. Wherever you stand, we help you find the right people to support and accelerate your business. Connect with us to discover how we can help build your dream team.
Need Help Hiring for Your Small Business?
Let us know your needs below, and we can help you find, interview, and onboard new employees in as little as one week. Questions? Call us toll-free: 855-485-8853