There’s no way around it: hiring a team is critical to scaling and growing your business with ease. But it can be scary to hand over the keys to your empire and trust strangers to put their effort into your mission.

 So, how can you ensure that the folks you bring on are a good fit and primed for success? The best method is to create a structured hiring process you can use whenever you need to bring on someone new.

 If you’re wondering what this means (and why you should use it), here’s how you can create this process for your business:

 Step #1: Start with a Solid Job Description

 You need to know what you want before you can get what you want. And that’s why building a solid job description is such a vital part of the process.

 See, a clear, well-written job description will go a long way in attracting the right candidates. When you make it clear what you’re looking for, candidates will know right away whether they should be applying for the role.

 When creating the description, here are some essential questions to ask yourself:

 ●     Who will this person be working with? Will they contribute as part of a team or do lots of independent work? This will help you determine if you need someone who can adapt or if they should have more specialized skills.

 ●     How does this role contribute to the big picture? Does it require long-term planning and strategizing or quick decision-making and action? Your candidate’s work style will come into play here.

●     What exactly will this person be doing every day? What skills do they already need to have to be successful and what can they learn on the job?

 The job description should describe the nuts and bolts of the job clearly so potential applicants can have a good sense of what you’re looking for.

 Step #2: Conduct a Focused First Interview

 Ask the right questions to get a better sense if they’re a fit for the job and your company. You can refer to the job description you wrote to help you develop a line of questioning. Keep your questions relevant– each one should play a part in getting the info you need to make a hiring decision.

Remember, this is an interview for a job, not a friend or romantic interest. So, asking about their personal background is much less important than learning about their work history.

Finally, watch for signs that your candidate is engaged in the interview process by asking them open-ended questions about their long-term career goals and what excited them most about this job opportunity. This will give you an idea if this person would fit into the culture at your company.

 Step #3: Interview Candidates Multiple Times

 Think you found someone who could be a good fit? Then it’s time to interview them again!

While it might be tempting to offer the job to the first candidate who impresses you, it’s generally not the best idea. Those first impressions are important, but they’re not everything. Take the time you need to get to know the candidate.

Dig deeper into your follow-up questions. Is there something they said you’d like to learn more about? Was anything unclear? It’s also a good time to allow them to ask more questions and have an open conversation about the role. Remember, they’re interviewing you to see if you’re a good fit for their life, too!

It’s a lot of work to create the right hiring process for your business. But if you stick to it and make sure every candidate goes through each step, you’ll have more confidence in the people who join your team. That means you can focus on other things like developing them into great employees who will stay with your company for years to come.

Need more advice on hiring consistently? Head here now!

Barbara Mason is a HR consultant that brings over 20 years Human Resources experience and has been in senior level roles for Fortune 500 companies. She is the owner and CEO of Career Pathways Consulting and  is an expert at helping female led companies build amazing teams, scales their businesses and increase their revenue.

To learn more about working with her, visit www.careerpathwaysconsulting.com.