Hiring well for your business
Hiring Well Starts Long Before the Interview
WRITTEN BY: Chloe Sabbadin
For many small business owners, hiring feels high-stakes — because it is. One wrong hire can drain time, energy, and momentum. But great hiring isn’t about gut feel or slick interviews. It’s about preparation, structure, and treating candidates like humans.
Here’s a practical guide to running better interviews, making better decisions, and creating a candidate experience that reflects well on your business.
Start Before You Even Look at CVs
Before opening applications, pause and ask yourself:
What problem does this role actually solve?
What does success look like in 3, 6, and 12 months?
Which skills are essential, and which can be taught?
What behaviours will make someone successful in your team?
For small businesses especially, alignment is key. Be clear on timelines, budget, decision-makers, and how many interview stages there will be. Confusion here creates delays, mixed messages, and poor candidate experiences.
CVs Are Only Part of the Picture
CVs show past roles and opportunities — not learning ability, motivation, or how someone will show up day to day. Be careful not to:
Overvalue brand names
Penalise career breaks
Assume job-hopping equals poor performance
Use the same criteria for every applicant and review them consistently. And remember: your first interaction matters. Slow responses or vague timelines signal disorganisation and turn good candidates away — especially in competitive markets.
Keep the Interview Process Simple (and Prepared)
For most small businesses, two interviews is enough. Three at most. Every stage should have a clear purpose.
Preparation is non-negotiable:
Read the CV properly
Review notes from earlier interviews
Prepare structured questions
“Winging it” leads to bias and inconsistent decisions — even when intentions are good.
A simple interview structure that works for most roles:
Welcome & context (5 mins): set expectations, outline structure
Career overview (5–10 mins): understand background and motivation
Behavioural questions (30 mins): real examples, not hypotheticals
Candidate questions (10 mins): remember, this is a two-way street
Close & next steps (5 mins): clarity builds trust
Ask Better Questions, Get Better Answers
Focus on behavioural questions — what someone has done, not what they might do.
Use prompts like:
“Tell me about a time when…”
“What was the situation, what action did you take, and what happened?”
If answers stay vague, probe deeper. Strong answers include context, decision-making, impact, and reflection.
Watch Out for Bias (We All Have It)
Common interview traps include:
Halo effect (one good trait influencing everything)
“Similar-to-me” bias
Mistaking confidence for competence
Overweighting first impressions
Combat bias by taking notes, scoring against criteria, and separating “likability” from capability. If unsure, sleep on it or get a second opinion.
Use Practical Assessments — Fairly
If the role requires writing, review writing. If it requires problem-solving, walk through a real scenario. Keep assessments:
Job-relevant
Reasonable in time
Clearly explained
Followed by feedback
Never use assessments as free labour. That damages trust and your employer brand.
Candidate Questions Are Signals — Listen to Them
When candidates ask about success, culture, challenges, or management style, they’re really asking:
“Will I be supported here? Will I burn out? Can I grow?”
Answer honestly, with real examples. Avoid corporate clichés. Acknowledge challenges and explain what’s being done about them. You’re being assessed as a leader, whether you realise it or not.
Take Notes, Then Score Thoughtfully
Relying on memory leads to gut decisions. Structured notes help you compare candidates fairly and justify decisions.
Score by competency (communication, problem-solving, technical skills), not overall impressions. A simple 1–5 scale works well — but remember: scores guide judgement, they don’t replace it.
Make the Call — and Close the Loop
Avoid waiting for the “perfect” candidate. Focus on core capability, learning mindset, and values alignment.
Move quickly with offers — good candidates have options. Be clear, human, and open to questions. And for those you don’t hire, close the loop with feedback. How you reject candidates says a lot about your business.
Final Thought
Great interviewers aren’t born — they’re trained. Interviewing is a skill, and when done well, it becomes one of the strongest levers you have to build strong teams, improve retention, and shape your culture.
Hiring well isn’t about being impressive. It’s about being intentional.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chloe is a highly regarded specialist technical recruiter and Director at XO Recruitment in Christchurch, New Zealand, with over eight years of local experience and a decade internationally in the recruitment industry. She’s known for her human-centred approach, clear communication, and ability to deliver quality candidates quickly — from crafting job descriptions to guiding hiring decisions and placements. Chloe brings real-world insight and a practical mindset to hiring, helping both businesses and candidates navigate today’s competitive tech and digital job markets with confidence and clarity.
