The intake: decide the job before the ad
One page before anything is posted: the five outcomes this role owns in year one, the three capabilities they demand, the fully-loaded budget range, and who decides. Most bad hires trace to this page not existing: the ad described a person, interviews measured likability, and the outcomes were negotiated after arrival.
The intake also arms the money conversation early: the range is budgeted, so the offer never improvises under closing pressure.
Screening without drowning
Define the two or three knockout facts before reading applications, and screen against only those; save the full evaluation for the shortlist. A twenty-minute structured phone screen, same questions for everyone, clears most of the field: the role’s reality including the unglamorous parts, their relevant evidence, the range, and their timeline.
Stating the range early is not just courteous; it stops both sides spending weeks discovering a mismatch the first call could have caught.
Interviews that predict, not perform
Three structured conversations beat six improvised ones: a capabilities interview built on evidence questions, tell me about a time, walked to specifics; a work sample scoped to under two hours, paid where substantial; and a mutual-fit conversation where they interview you honestly. Score each against the intake sheet the same day, not from memory at the end.
Small-company interviews fail by charm: one great conversation outweighing thin evidence. The sheet exists to outvote the charm.
The offer, and the paper it rides on
Move fast once decided: strong candidates at small companies are lost to slow yeses more than to low offers. The offer letter states compensation, start date, contingencies and at-will terms plainly, and promises nothing the budget and the handbook cannot keep: improvised perks and hallway equity hints are debts that mature badly.
Close warmly, then start the file: the signed letter, their documents, the onboarding checklist. Day one begins before day one.
Intake to offer, in one pipeline
The HR Desk runs this end to end: applicant intake, structured records per candidate, review notes, approvals, and the offer and onboarding documents drafted with Velora from your role intake.
The budget range comes from the math in the true cost of a hire, kept live in the Finance Desk.
Frequently asked questions
What should a small company decide before posting a job?
A one-page intake: the five year-one outcomes, three required capabilities, the fully-loaded budget range, and who decides. It prevents ads that describe a person instead of a job.
What interviews should a small business run?
Three structured conversations: an evidence-based capabilities interview, a scoped work sample of under two hours, paid where substantial, and a mutual-fit conversation, each scored against the intake sheet the same day.
What belongs in a job offer letter?
Compensation, start date, contingencies and employment terms, stated plainly, with nothing promised that the budget and policies cannot keep. Speed matters: strong candidates are lost to slow yeses.