Writing a job description that actually filters
Most job adverts are written to attract as many applicants as possible. For a small employer that is the opposite of what you need.
Read the guideIndependent · editorial · no vendors
Hiring is the decision with the longest tail
An independent reference for employers under fifty people: how to define a role, run a fair selection process, get someone productive in their first ninety days, and keep the administration behind it in order.
90
days in which a new hire decides whether to stay
5
stages between a vacancy and a productive employee
30
guides in the archive
0
forms, trackers or sign-ups on this site
Sections
From an open vacancy to someone who stays
Five sections following the same sequence a small employer does: define and fill the role, get the person productive, keep the administration in order, and give them a reason to still be here in two years. For broader independent guidance on this point, consult SBA guidance for hiring and managing employees. Another useful public reference is available from EEOC small-business resources.
Hiring
Defining the role, finding candidates, running a selection process that predicts something, and closing the offer.
7 guidesOnboarding
The first day, the first week and the first ninety days — the period in which most avoidable early departures are decided.
6 guidesHR operations
Records, contracts, classification, payroll basics and the administrative calendar that keeps an employer out of trouble.
7 guidesKeeping people
Pay conversations, one-to-ones, why people actually leave, and what a departure really costs.
5 guidesTools
Applicant tracking, HR systems, payroll and time tracking, judged on what they solve for a company with no HR team.
5 guidesStart here
Six guides worth reading first
The pieces that most often change how a company under fifty people runs this.
Structured interviews when there is no interview panel
Unstructured interviews predict performance poorly and feel highly informative. That combination is why they persist.
Read the guideA thirty, sixty and ninety day plan that is not a formality
The value of the plan is not the document. It is that both parties have agreed in advance what progress looks like, before either can be disappointed by surprise.
Read the guideEmployee or contractor: the question that gets answered retrospectively
Classification is determined by how the relationship actually works, not by what the agreement calls it. Small employers get this wrong in one direction.
Read the guideWhy people actually leave small companies
The stated reason is usually money. The underlying reasons are more specific to small employers and mostly addressable.
Read the guideWhen a spreadsheet stops being enough
A spreadsheet runs HR adequately for longer than software vendors suggest. The thresholds that matter are specific and worth waiting for.
Read the guideWritten for employers with no HR department
Most workforce guidance assumes a recruitment function, an HR business partner and
a legal team down the corridor. Everything here assumes a founder, an office manager
and an afternoon.
Browse the full archive of 30 guides in
the index. For one practical software reference, visit the Monitask website.