{"id":79863,"date":"2022-09-28T14:29:00","date_gmt":"2022-09-28T18:29:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=79863"},"modified":"2026-01-21T16:07:48","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T20:07:48","slug":"hiring-plan-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/hiring-plan-2\/","title":{"rendered":"The Step-by-Step Hiring Plan Every Business Should Follow"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What is a hiring plan<\/a>? Why are hiring plans important for a business?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Employees are an essential part of a business, and to have employees, you need to create a hiring plan. This process may be intimidating, but it\u2019s important to ensure you\u2019re hiring the right people<\/a> to fit your team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Continue reading for a step-by-step hiring process that works for any business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Planning: Identify Your Specific Needs and Goals<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Before making a hiring plan, you need to think of the goals you want to meet for your business. In The E-Myth Revisited<\/em><\/a>, Michael E. Gerber says creating a franchise prototype helps you put your hiring plan in perspective. This way, you\u2019ll cater your business around your life and your future employees\u2019 lives. Try this exercise for reconceptualizing your business. Think of it as the prototype for thousands of others like it.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Imagine you\u2019re going to franchise your business with the following guidelines. How would your franchise prototype look compared to the way your business looks today?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1) Your model will provide a level of value to your customers and everyone else your business touches that\u2019s consistent and exceeds expectations<\/strong>. The answer to how your business will provide value is the reason for its existence. Your customers, employees, and suppliers<\/a>, not you, define the value your business provides. It\u2019s reflected in such things as the way you greet customers and recognize\/reward employees, the price of your service or product, or the time you spend answering a customer\u2019s questions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2) Your model can be applied by people with the minimal skills necessary for each position<\/strong>. If you base it on highly skilled people, you\u2019ll have a harder time filling positions and you\u2019ll pay more. Further, your model will be hard to reproduce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make your business dependent on systems rather than people. People can still help you improve your systems by finding ways to serve customers better. But when your business is people-dependent, it\u2019s subject to their moods\u2014you have to motivate them\u2014and can\u2019t produce consistent results. Your system is a tool you develop and use to teach people to do the work of your business and differentiate it from competitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3) Your model provides organization and order<\/strong>. There\u2019s more than enough chaos in the world; most people are looking for order. A business that appears organized gives your customers, employees, and suppliers confidence that it can deliver the results they want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4) Your model is documented in an operations manual<\/strong>. Documentation provides your employees with clarity. It explains the purpose of the work, the steps for doing it, and the standards that must be met. Without documentation, everyone creates their own processes and standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you can answer these questions, you\u2019ll be thinking of your business in a new way and officially begin hiring to fulfill your needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nTITLE: The E-Myth<\/a> Revisited
\nAUTHOR: Michael E. Gerber
\nTIME: 18
\nREADS: 25.8
\nIMG_URL: https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/the-e-myth-revisited-cover.png
\nBOOK_SUMMARYURL: the-e-myth-revisited-summary-michael-gerber
\nAMZN_ID: B000RO9VJK
\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recruitment: The Interview Process<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Now that you have your goals set for your business, The Making of a Manager<\/em><\/a>\u2019s author Julie Zhuo recommends making a hiring plan: a list of roles<\/strong> you need to fill over the next year based on your company\u2019s goals and vision as well as deficiencies among your current team. A one-year hiring plan will help you clarify the skills and experiences you\u2019ll need future team members to have and when you\u2019ll need to have those positions filled.  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once you start your hiring efforts, Zhuo recommends these steps to find and interview candidates:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step #1: Create a clear job description<\/a> and title<\/strong>. Clarify core job duties, and be specific about the skills, experiences, and qualities you need. For example, if you need a project manager who\u2019s detail-oriented and<\/em> great at calmly navigating difficult conversations with strong personalities,  be sure you note that preference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, candidates look for job titles<\/a> that fit their qualifications, so be sure you choose job titles that are easy to understand<\/a>. For example, \u201creceptionist\u201d is a better choice than \u201cdirector of first impressions.\u201d Also, avoid superfluous language that\u2019s overly complicated so candidates can easily understand what\u2019s expected. For example, instead of \u201cinterfacing cross-functionally and troubleshooting interdepartmentally,\u201d simply say \u201ccollaborating with team members from different departments.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step #2: Decide where you\u2019ll look for candidates<\/strong>. Zhuo recommends asking colleagues for recommendations before looking anywhere else. If none of their suggestions work out, you now have an idea of what kind of person to look for elsewhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Others claim that seeking hires via a recruitment agency is the best approach in certain circumstances.<\/a> For example, agencies are especially useful for finding candidates to fill leadership or highly technical positions. They often have staff members with expertise in particular industries, which enables them to spot employees with specific skills that you might overlook. Using a recruitment agency can also free you to focus your efforts<\/a> elsewhere, thereby saving you\u2014and your company\u2014time and resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step #3: Prepare a template of interview questions<\/strong>. Be clear about what you want to learn, and use the same questions for each candidate interviewing for a single role. As Zhuo says, this helps you compare candidates based on the quality of their answers rather than subjective impressions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To prepare for interviews more efficiently, consider conducting software-assisted interviews<\/a>. Software tools generate interview questions for you based on your specific job requirements and help you evaluate candidates<\/a>. These tools can also decrease bias in your hiring decisions by scoring candidates in a way that\u2019s potentially more objective than in-person judgments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step #4: Invite colleagues to help you conduct interviews.<\/strong> According to Zhuo, this can diminish bias that often interferes when only one person is involved and can help you catch warning signs you might overlook if you\u2019re on your own\u2014for example, a candidate who won\u2019t make eye contact with female interviewers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s the ideal number of interviewers to include? Zhuo doesn\u2019t say, but others recommend a maximum of three people<\/a>. More than three may intimidate and confuse candidates, making them feel like they must remember many names and the role each person has in the organization. Also, including more interviewers than necessary tends to make decisions about candidates more challenging, as it\u2019s rare for multiple people to be perfectly aligned in their opinions of candidates\u2019 strengths, weaknesses, and fit with the company culture<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step #5: Conduct memorable interviews<\/strong>. Avoid distractions and devote your attention to candidates so they know you consider them a priority. Also (if you think they\u2019re likely to be a good hire), describe the difference you see they\u2019ll make when they\u2019re on your team, and tell them how excited you are to welcome them to the company. As Zhuo says, you need to make sure candidates see your company as an attractive place to work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In general, when hiring for a position, your goals should be to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n