Write the post as a filter, not an advertisement. Open with what the person will actually do in their first ninety days, in concrete terms, because that is what a qualified candidate reads to decide whether they can and want to do it. Cap genuine must-haves at four and mark everything else as preferred — long requirement lists deter careful candidates while confident ones apply regardless. State the pay range. Then build the interview questions and scoring rubric before you meet anyone, so the criteria cannot drift toward whoever you happened to like, which is the most common failure in small business hiring.
What this actually feels like
The post goes up, eighty applications arrive, and two are plausible. Screening consumes a week, the shortlist is weak, and the role gets filled by whoever was least unsuitable.
The people you actually wanted read the post and moved on, because it described a company rather than a job and did not say what it paid.
What it costs to do by hand
Writing a post that filters properly takes an hour or two. Building the interview kit and rubric takes another one or two, and both happen before you meet anybody.
Skipping that front-loading does not save time, it moves it — into a week of screening and a decision made on impressions rather than evidence.
The job post and interview kit
Writing for the first ninety days, the four-must-have rule, screening without losing a week, the rubric written in advance, and the work sample that predicts best.
Read the guide →Input, skill, output
- Your brief — The role as you understand it.
- Old post — What you used last time, if anything.
- Team context — Who they work with, and reporting.
- Write the post — Role, must-haves and the sell.
- Build the interview — Questions plus a scoring rubric.
- Draft the offer — A letter template ready.
- Job post — Written to filter rather than advertise.
- Interview kit — Questions and a rubric written in advance.
- Offer letter — Drafted and ready to send.
Who this is for
- You are hiring and have written the post yourself before.
- Your last hire produced high volume and a weak shortlist.
- Interviews currently happen without a fixed question set.
If none of those describe you, this is probably not your first priority — and the rest of the library may point somewhere more useful.
Common questions
Why am I attracting the wrong applicants?
Usually because the post is written as an advertisement. Being specific about the demanding parts makes unsuitable candidates remove themselves.
How many requirements should I list?
Four or fewer genuine must-haves. Everything else marked preferred, because long lists deter careful candidates while confident ones apply anyway.
Should I include the salary?
Yes. Several states require it, it prevents four rounds ending in a mismatch, and withholding it is widely read as paying below market.
What phrases should I avoid?
"Fast-paced" reads as understaffed, "like a family" as poor boundaries, and "competitive salary" as below market. Replace each with the specific truth.
What makes an interview reliable?
The same questions in the same order for everyone, behavioral rather than hypothetical, scored against a rubric written before you met anybody.
See it on your own books, once
The First Close is one real month of your books, closed properly and configured to your chart of accounts, delivered inside two weeks. Full reconciliation against every processor, every exception flagged with the transaction behind it, and the narrative written. $497, refundable if the packet is not delivered, and it credits in full toward the first month if you continue.
Get Your First Close — $497 See a sample packet