If you’re like most business owners or managers, you probably excel at running your company and teams. Maybe you’re good at sales, operations, or customer service, but recruiting—interviewing and hiring? That requires a different skill set entirely.
Hiring is too important to leave to gut feelings. And unfortunately, a lot of hiring managers use this approach. Finding the right people is an essential piece of building a successful business. But without preparation, interviewing is like showing up for a marathon without training and expecting to win.
At Whirks, we’ve helped hundreds of small businesses improve their recruiting process. And in this article, I’ll show you how.
I’ll walk you through our proven 3-step recruiting process to help you attract, identify, and hire ideal team players who align with your values and help your organization get one step better every day.
Step 1: Write a Job Advertisement That Attracts the Right People
Your job ad is your first chance to make an impression. It’s your first handshake with a potential candidate. A lot of companies get this wrong by simply copying their internal job description. The result? A bland, generic listing that attracts the wrong candidates.
Instead, create a compelling ad with these three essential elements:
The Hook: Connect with Your Values
The hook speaks directly to candidates who naturally align with and share your company’s values, culture, and purpose. This section should clearly communicate your company’s “why”—the reason you exist and where you’re headed. You want the right people to see themselves in your organization.
Tips that Whirk!
- Include statements from your mission, vision, and values.
- Describe the behaviors that lead to success in your organization.
- Ask yourself: “Would I feel inspired to click and learn more?”
Winning: Focus on Outcomes, Not Tasks
Instead of just listing job duties, describe the outcomes you expect from this role. This gives candidates a clear picture of success and creates a foundation for accountability from day one. Define 3-5 key outcomes that show the candidate what winning in this role will look like.
Think about completing this statement: “You can count on me to...” For example:
- You can count on me to build lasting client relationships.
- You can count on me to own training and development.
These statements aren’t tasks. They’re outcomes that show the value of the role, and they create both clear expectations and a solid performance evaluation framework.
Wow: Highlight Why Your Business Is Special
Your “wow” showcases what makes your company an exciting place to work. What does your organization do better than competitors? What benefits do your employees love?
Your wow factor should answer the candidate’s question, “Why should I want to work here?” This could be:
- Flexible work arrangements
- Comprehensive benefits
- Professional development opportunities
- Performance bonuses
- Company culture initiatives
When writing this section, ask yourself: “Would this excite me enough to apply?”
Step 2: Create a Values-Based Scorecard to Evaluate Candidates
Once your compelling job ad begins attracting candidates, how do you decide who’s the right fit? You need a systematic and objective way to identify who truly aligns with your organization. This is where a values-based scorecard comes in.
Define Your Core Values
Your company’s values shape your culture and represent the core principles and behaviors that are important to your organization. Whether they're written down or not, they’re there.
But are those values creating the workplace you want?
Strong hiring practices demonstrate your values through the recruiting process.
Tips that Whirk!
- Clarify your core values through a discovery process (don’t just copy from someone else).
- Define each value with additional statements for clarity.
- Build your hiring scorecard directly around your values.
For example, you might define your values like:
- Humble: The single greatest attribute of being a team player.
- Hungry: People who are self-motivated and diligent.
- Smart: A person’s ability to use common sense and good judgment when dealing with people and situations.
- Competent: Knowing what should happen in various situations…and getting it done.
Develop Your Interview Scorecard
Interview scorecards quantify your gut feelings and keep the evaluation process more consistent, reducing the potential for bias in your hiring process.
When creating your scorecard, include:
- First impression section: A simple “hire or pass?” to acknowledge your initial reaction.
- Space for icebreakers: Use questions as conversation starters, but allow follow-up questions to guide you into getting to know the real person behind the “interview mask.”
- Sections for documenting noteworthy responses: Make note of answers that prompted follow-up questions or raised concerns.
- Summary/comments area: For jotting down overall impressions.
- Clear scoring system: Use a 1-5 scale where an average of below 3 means the candidate doesn’t advance, while 4 or higher indicates you want to move the candidate forward.
Step 3: Train Your Hiring Panel to Conduct Effective Interviews
Interviewing isn’t most people’s day job. Your hiring panel has responsibilities outside of recruiting and interviewing. These “second-hat” hiring duties are probably unfamiliar and can feel awkward to many team members.
Helping your team prepare for interviews is crucial for success. Here’s a practical approach:
Practice With Mock Interviews
Before jumping into real interviews, conduct 2-3 mock sessions with your team. Practice using the scorecard to assess strengths and identify areas for improvement.
Focus on Noteworthy Responses
Coach your hiring team to be attentive to “noteworthy” answers. Help them understand how to listen for responses that prompt follow-up questions or raise concerns.
Maintain Scoring Discipline
Train your hiring panel to maintain standards. That means no middle-ground answers. If the scoring system is 1-5, stick to whole numbers (no 3.2 or 4.5 scores). Each interviewer should complete their scorecard independently before discussing with other panel members.
Cultivate Meaningful Conversations
Great interviews aren’t about checking boxes. If that’s all you do, you’ll likely miss crucial information. Knowing what to ask is important, but how to ask and what to listen for separates good interviewers from average ones. Teach your hiring team to foster genuine conversations with candidates that reveal the real answers beneath rehearsed responses.
Recruiting Is a Skill, and Skills Take Practice
We’re all familiar with the old adage, “Practice makes perfect.” Most of us are good at something because we practiced it over and over. The more you work on something, the better you get at it.
Recruiting is no different; it doesn’t just happen magically. The reality is, you’re not always going to be great at reading people. It’s a skill that improves with practice. And the more intentional you are about focusing on your company’s values, outcomes, and expectations, the better your hiring results will be.
Are you ready to get better at recruiting and find the right people, at the right time, for the right roles? Our Hiring Whirkbook can help. Download your free copy today.
And then, book a call with our People Services team, and let’s talk about how we can help you attract, identify, and hire your next ideal team player.
