Hiring someone shouldn't simply be about getting a few tasks off your plate.It should be about building the team your business actually needs to move forward.
Before you start advertising your next role, it's worth looking at where your business is heading, what responsibilities need to change and what kind of support will make a meaningful difference. Because hiring the right person starts long before the recruitment process, and the decisions you make now can shape the business you're building for years to come.
There comes a point in business when you realise you can't keep doing everything yourself.
Maybe you're turning away work because you simply don't have the capacity to take on another client. Maybe you're working ridiculous hours just to keep up with what's already on your plate. Or maybe you've reached the point where you're spending so much time delivering the work that you never actually get around to running the business.
And naturally, the next thought is often: Sh*t, I need to hire someone.
Fair enough. But before you jump onto SEEK, write a job ad and start looking for someone to take a few things off your plate, there's a much bigger question worth asking.
What Are You Actually Building, and How Is This Person Going to Help You Get There?
Because the person who can take a few tasks off your hands today isn't necessarily the person your business needs to support where you're heading tomorrow.
And hiring someone simply because you're overwhelmed can be a very expensive way to discover that you haven't actually worked out what you need.
Being Busy Doesn't Automatically Mean You Need Another Employee
Let's start with something that might be a little uncomfortable.
Just because you're busy doesn't automatically mean you need to hire someone.
It might. Absolutely.
And I want to help you hire, so I’m not trying to put you off!
But it could also mean your processes need some attention, you're holding onto responsibilities you should have handed over months ago, or you've built a business where every single decision still needs to go through you.
Sometimes it's a capacity problem. Sometimes it's a structure problem. Sometimes it's a combination of both.
And sometimes, you're just trying to do far too much.
When we're working with business owners who are considering their next hire, one of the first things we want to understand is what's actually happening inside the business.
Not just what tasks are taking up their time, but why they're doing those tasks, what would happen if they stopped, and what they want their own role to look like as the business grows.
Because if we don't understand the problem we're trying to solve, how can we be confident that hiring someone is the right solution?
Imagine you're running a growing service-based business.
You're managing client enquiries, preparing quotes, delivering services, handling invoicing, following up outstanding work, organising appointments and somehow trying to find time to market the business.
Naturally, you decide you need an admin assistant.
But when we start unpacking the work, we discover that the biggest issue isn't actually the administration.
It's that you're spending almost all your time delivering services, which means there's nobody consistently managing client relationships, coordinating work or keeping projects moving.
An admin assistant might help with some of that.
But depending on your business goals, a client coordinator, operations support person or another service delivery team member might create a much bigger impact.
Same business. Same overwhelmed owner. Potentially three very different hiring decisions.
Sometimes you genuinely need help right now, and that's okay.
But an immediate capacity problem doesn't always justify a long-term employee. A freelancer or contractor might be exactly what you need to bridge the gap while you work out what the business needs moving forward.
That's why we need to understand the business before we start defining the role.
Stop Hiring for the Business You Have Today Without Considering the Business You Want Tomorrow
Your business isn't supposed to stay exactly as it is today.
At least, we're assuming that's not the plan.
You might want to increase revenue, introduce new services, reduce your client-facing hours, expand into another location or simply build a business that doesn't require your involvement in every single task.
And let's be clear - growth doesn't always mean bigger.
For some business owners, the goal is a team of 20 people and multiple locations.
For others, it's a small, capable team that allows them to work school hours, take holidays without their laptop and actually enjoy the business they've worked so hard to build.
Neither is more successful than the other.
But they require different decisions about the people, skills, responsibilities and structure needed to support them.
Your hiring strategy should reflect your version of success, not somebody else's idea of what a growing business should look like.
If your goal is to step away from day-to-day service delivery, hiring another administrative employee might not get you there.
If your goal is to increase client capacity, hiring someone who needs constant supervision might create more pressure before it creates relief.
And if your goal is to build a team that can operate confidently without you making every decision, you need to consider the level of responsibility, capability and independence you're looking for.
That's not something we should be figuring out after the person starts.
It's something we should be thinking about before the recruitment process even begins.
Think beyond the next three months
We aren't suggesting you need a perfectly mapped five-year business plan before hiring someone.
Most business owners would have a good laugh at that suggestion, particularly when they're already trying to keep up with everything happening this week.
But you do need some direction.
Consider:
- What do you want the business to look like in 12 months?
- What work do you want to continue doing yourself?
- What responsibilities would you like to step away from?
- Where do you expect demand for your services to increase?
- What skills or capabilities will the business need that it doesn't currently have?
- What would make the biggest difference to your capacity, profitability or ability to lead?
You might not have all the answers immediately.
That's fine.
But these questions start to shift your thinking from who can take some work off my plate? to what does my business actually need to move forward?
And that's a much stronger starting point for recruitment.
Your Job Description Shouldn't Be a Collection of Everything You Don't Want to Do
We've all seen these roles.
The business needs someone to answer phones, manage social media, process invoices, coordinate appointments, assist with client work, update the website, organise events, manage suppliers and occasionally perform what appears to be a small miracle.
Naturally, the position is advertised as an administration assistant.
Because apparently adding 'and other duties as required' means anything is possible.
The problem isn't necessarily that the business needs support across several areas. That's completely normal in a small business. The problem is when those responsibilities haven't been considered strategically.
Instead, the job description becomes a running list of everything the owner is tired of doing.
And that creates a few challenges.
First, you might be combining responsibilities that require very different skills, experience or working styles.
Second, you might be making the role unnecessarily difficult to fill because you're searching for someone who can do absolutely everything.
Third, you might be setting the person up to struggle because nobody has established which responsibilities actually matter most.
And finally, you might be paying someone to complete work that doesn't meaningfully move the business forward.
Before deciding what belongs in a role, we need to understand what outcome we're expecting that role to deliver.
For example, are we hiring someone to:
- Increase the number of clients we can service?
- Improve communication and coordination?
- Reduce the owner's involvement in day-to-day operations?
- Bring specialist skills into the business?
- Improve the consistency of service delivery?
- Create capacity for the business to grow?
Those outcomes should influence the responsibilities we include, the skills we prioritise and the type of person we're looking for.
Sometimes, when you break down everything you're expecting one person to do, you discover you're actually looking for three different specialisations disguised as an admin assistant.
That might mean bringing in a couple of specialist contractors, or creating two distinct employee roles. And yes, people in small businesses often need to roll up their sleeves and help each other out.
But that shouldn't become an excuse for a job description that expects one person to be an expert in absolutely everything.
A job description isn't supposed to be a dumping ground.
It's supposed to provide clarity about the purpose of the role and how it contributes to the business.
Before You Decide Who to Hire, Look at the Work
One of the most useful exercises a business owner can complete before hiring is to take a proper look at where their time is going.
And we don't mean a quick mental list while you're driving between appointments.
We mean actually looking at the work being completed across the business.
- Identify what needs to be done
Start by listing the recurring responsibilities that keep your business operating.
This might include client delivery, administration, sales, marketing, scheduling, financial administration, customer communication, team coordination and everything else that happens behind the scenes.
Include the work that only you currently do, even if you've never considered handing it over.
Sometimes we've been responsible for something for so long that we forget it doesn't necessarily need to remain our responsibility - Identify what actually requires you
Now look at which responsibilities genuinely require your knowledge, experience, relationships or decision-making authority.
Be careful here.
There's a difference between something that needs you and something you've simply always done.
Just because you're the fastest person at completing a task doesn't mean you're the right person to keep doing it.
And just because someone else might initially take longer doesn't mean it isn't worth teaching them. - Look for patterns and gaps
Are certain tasks regularly being delayed?
Are clients waiting too long for responses?
Are opportunities being missed because nobody has the capacity to follow them up?
Are you spending your evenings catching up on administration because your days are consumed by service delivery?
Or are you constantly being interrupted because your existing team doesn't have the information or authority to make decisions?
These patterns tell us much more about what the business needs than simply saying, 'We're really busy.' - Consider what can be improved before adding another person
Not every problem requires a new employee.
Some responsibilities could be automated, simplified, eliminated or redistributed.
Others might be better suited to outsourcing rather than creating an ongoing position.
And some absolutely justify bringing another person into the business.
The important thing is making that decision intentionally.
Because hiring someone into a business with unclear processes, responsibilities and expectations doesn't automatically solve those problems.
Sometimes it just gives you another person asking questions about them.
Hiring Someone Doesn't Automatically Mean You've Delegated
This is another one we see business owners get caught up in.
They finally hire someone, hand over a few tasks and expect to get hours of their week back.
Except now they're spending those hours answering questions, checking work, explaining decisions and fixing things that haven't gone quite right.
Suddenly, they're wondering whether it would have been easier to just keep doing everything themselves.
Sound familiar?
The issue isn't necessarily the person they've hired.
It's often that the business hasn't properly prepared to hand over responsibility.
Delegation requires more than assigning tasks.
People need to understand what they're responsible for, what a good outcome looks like, where to find information, when they can make decisions independently and when they need to ask for support.
And business owners need to be prepared to give them the opportunity to actually take ownership.
That's not always easy.
Particularly when you've spent years building the business yourself and you're used to having your hands in absolutely everything.
But if the intention behind hiring is to create more capacity, you need to consider how that capacity is actually going to be created.
Otherwise, you risk becoming the bottleneck in a business that now has more people waiting on you.
Think about the role you'll play after the hire
Here's a question worth considering.
If this hire is successful, what will you be doing differently six months from now?
Will you be spending more time on business development?
Will you have reduced your service delivery hours?
Will you be able to focus on client relationships?
Will you have more time to lead your team?
Will you finally be able to take a day off without everything grinding to a halt?
If you can't identify what will change, it's worth questioning whether you've clearly defined the purpose of the role.
Because hiring someone shouldn't simply mean you have another person in the business.
It should create an outcome that matters.
The Right Hire Isn't Always the Most Experienced Person
Once you've worked out what your business needs, you can start considering the type of person who might be able to deliver it.
And this is where we need to be careful about confusing experience with suitability.
Of course, some roles require specific qualifications, technical skills or substantial experience.
We're certainly not suggesting otherwise.
But experience alone doesn't tell you whether someone is right for your business.
A highly experienced candidate might be brilliant in a large organisation with established systems, clearly defined responsibilities and several layers of support.
That doesn't automatically mean they'll enjoy working in a small business where priorities change, responsibilities overlap and processes are still being developed.
Equally, someone with less direct experience might bring the adaptability, initiative and willingness to learn that your particular role requires.
The question isn't simply, 'Who's the most impressive candidate?'
It's, 'Who has the capabilities, working approach and values that align with what this role and business actually need?'
And to answer that, you first need clarity about the role.
Your culture matters here too
Every business has its own way of working.
Some are highly collaborative. Others require people to work independently for much of the day.
Some have clearly established processes. Others are still developing their systems as they grow.
Some move quickly and need people who are comfortable adapting. Others rely on consistency, structure and attention to detail.
None of those characteristics are automatically good or bad. But they influence the environment someone is stepping into.
When we talk about hiring for cultural alignment, we're not talking about finding someone who thinks exactly like you, has the same personality or would be your new best friend.
We're talking about understanding the values, behaviours and working expectations that matter in your business, and assessing candidates fairly against the genuine requirements of the role.
A person can have an outstanding resume and still be poorly suited to the position you've created. And that doesn't necessarily mean there's anything wrong with them.
It might simply mean the role, expectations or environment aren't the right match. The clearer you are about those things before recruitment starts, the better positioned you are to make an informed decision.
Your Recruitment Strategy Starts Before the Job ad
By the time you sit down to write a job ad, there should already be a fair amount of thinking behind the role.
You should have a reasonable understanding of:
- Why the business needs the position.
- What outcomes the person will be responsible for.
- How the role fits into your existing or planned team structure.
- What skills and capabilities are essential.
- What can realistically be taught or developed.
- What working arrangements and support the business can offer.
- How you'll assess whether candidates are suited to the role.
- What needs to be ready before the person starts.
Because recruitment isn't just about finding someone who's willing and able to do the job.
It's about creating the conditions for the right person to join your business and succeed.
And that requires looking beyond the ad, interviews and offer.
It requires understanding the business, the role, the people already involved and what you're trying to achieve.
This is also why a recruitment process that worked perfectly well for your first employee might not be suitable for your fifth.
As your business changes, your recruitment approach needs to change with it.
The responsibilities you're delegating, the capabilities you're looking for, the way your team works together and the expectations you have of new employees will all evolve.
Your recruitment strategy should evolve too.
You Don't Have to Have Everything Figured Out Before You Ask for Help
We work with business owners at all different stages of their hiring journey.
Some know exactly what position they need and are ready to start recruitment.
Others know they're overwhelmed, recognise that something needs to change and have absolutely no idea what the next role should look like.
And that's okay.
You don't need to arrive with a perfectly written position description, a completed organisational chart and a detailed recruitment strategy.
In fact, working through those questions is an important part of making the right hiring decision.
What matters is being willing to look at the bigger picture rather than rushing to find someone who can provide immediate relief.
Because a rushed hire might solve this month's workload problem.
But a strategic hire can help create the business you actually want to run.
So, Before You Hire Your Next Person...
Take a moment to think beyond the tasks piling up on your desk.
Think about the business you're building.
The role you want to play in it.
The responsibilities you need someone else to take ownership of.
The capabilities your team will need as the business develops.
And the kind of working environment you want to create.
Then ask yourself:
Are we hiring someone to help us survive how the business operates today, or are we hiring someone to help us build what comes next?
Because those two decisions can lead you in very different directions.
And getting that decision right is worth a little more thought than throwing together a job ad and hoping for the best.
Ready to Make Your Next Hire a Strategic One?
At Emerald HQ, we support businesses with the thinking, planning and practical recruitment work that goes into finding the right people.
Whether you're working out what your next role should look like, preparing to recruit or looking for support with particular parts of the hiring process, our flexible hiring support means you don't have to tackle it all alone.
We help you connect your hiring decisions to your business goals, create a recruitment approach that makes sense for your organisation and find people who are suited to the role, your values and the team you're building.
Because the goal isn't simply to hire another person. It's to hire the right person, for the right reasons, at the right time.
Explore our hiring support at www.emeraldhq.com.au.
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