Each week has a clear focus, specific tasks, and a deliverable. By day 30, you have a functional hiring system.
✓Audit your current state. Document every open role, who owns hiring for each, your current process (even if it is "email the founder"), and how long your last 5 hires took.
✓Choose and set up your ATS. If you do not have one, use our ATS Comparison Guide to pick the right one. Set up pipelines with real stages: Applied, Phone Screen, Technical, Onsite, Offer, Hired.
✓Write 3 job descriptions. Start with your 3 most urgent roles. Use specific language, include salary ranges, describe what the person will actually do day-to-day. No "rockstars" or "ninjas."
Week 1 deliverable: ATS live with 3 roles posted using real job descriptions.
✓Build your interview scorecard. Define 5-6 evaluation criteria (technical skills, problem solving, communication, culture, motivation, leadership). Create a 1-5 scoring rubric with descriptions for each level.
✓Design your interview loop. Map out every stage: who interviews, what they evaluate, how long each round takes. Eliminate redundant interviews. Every stage should have a unique purpose.
✓Write a phone screen script. 10 questions that every recruiter or hiring manager asks on the first call. Consistency here is the easiest win in your entire process.
✓Train your interviewers. Share the scorecard with everyone who conducts interviews. Do a 30-minute calibration session where the team agrees on what a "3" vs a "5" looks like for each criterion.
Week 2 deliverable: Scorecard template, interview loop map, phone screen script, and a trained interview panel.
✓Write your sourcing playbook. Where to find candidates for each role type (LinkedIn, GitHub, AngelList, referrals). Include boolean search strings and outreach message templates.
✓Create email templates. Write templates for: moving candidates forward, rejecting at each stage, scheduling interviews, extending offers, and following up after ghosting.
✓Set up your offer process. Create an offer letter template with compensation, equity, benefits, and start date. Define who approves offers and how fast approval should happen (target: 24 hours).
✓Build your compliance baseline. Add EEO language to every job posting. Create a consistent note-taking template for interviews. Document your process so it is defensible if challenged.
Week 3 deliverable: Sourcing playbook, email templates, offer letter template, and compliance documentation.
✓Set up your KPI dashboard. Track 5 metrics from day one: time-to-fill, pipeline conversion rate, source mix, offer acceptance rate, and candidate NPS. A simple spreadsheet works.
✓Run your first structured search. Take one open role through the entire new process end-to-end. Source, screen, interview with scorecards, debrief, and offer. Note what works and what needs adjusting.
✓Build a 30-day onboarding plan. Map out what happens from offer acceptance through the first month: welcome email, equipment setup, Day 1 schedule, week 1 goals, 30-day check-in.
✓Retrospective. What worked? What was harder than expected? Where are the remaining gaps? This becomes your roadmap for month 2 and beyond.
Week 4 deliverable: Live KPI dashboard, one completed structured search, onboarding plan, and a gap analysis for continuous improvement.