Hiring can feel like taking a leap into the unknown. Small business owners know this better than most. When you're not a giant corporation with a whole department to handle recruiting, every decision feels more personal—and more risky. You're not just picking a resume; you're inviting someone into a tight-knit team, often with limited room for mistakes. And while instincts play a big part, there’s more to screening candidates than just gut feelings. If you’ve ever made a bad hire, you already understand how much it can set your business back—not just in time and money, but in morale and momentum. So how can you protect yourself without turning the hiring process into an obstacle course? Let’s break it down, one real-world step at a time.
Start With Character, Not Just Credentials
It’s easy to get wowed by a resume that looks sharp and polished. But if you’ve been around long enough, you’ve probably learned that the best-looking resumes don’t always lead to the best hires. Skills can be taught, especially in a small business where flexibility matters more than following a corporate playbook. What’s harder to teach is attitude. So, while it’s important to make sure a person has the qualifications to do the job, it’s equally—if not more—important to get a feel for who they are and how they treat people.
Start your screening process by asking character-driven questions in the first interview. You’re not looking for rehearsed answers here. You want to catch glimpses of who they are when the polish fades. Ask how they handle stress, how they respond to feedback, or how they’ve worked through a disagreement with a co-worker. Keep an ear out for humility and responsibility. If they blame others or dodge accountability, that’s worth paying attention to. In a small team, one person with the wrong attitude can change the whole atmosphere.
References Shouldn't Be a Checkbox
You might think references are just a formality these days, but when you’re running a small business, you should see them as an opportunity to dig deeper. Too many employers treat references like a final box to check off—call a few numbers, hear a few polite comments, move on. But there’s more to be gained if you approach these calls like real conversations, not routine confirmations.
When you reach out to someone who’s worked with your candidate, go beyond the basics. Ask what the person was like on a tough day. Find out how they handled the kind of pressure your workplace might bring. Were they consistent? Did they show up when it counted? How did they treat the people around them when no one was watching? This isn’t just about fact-checking the resume. It’s about information management—gathering the story behind the story, the details that don’t show up in interviews or on paper. Sometimes what’s not said can tell you even more than what is.
When Background Checks Matter—and What They Can Miss
There’s a point in the hiring process where you start to feel excited. You’ve found someone who says all the right things, has the experience you need, and seems like a great fit. But before you send the offer, you owe it to yourself—and your team—to look under the hood a little.
Background checks can be tricky, especially for small businesses. They're not always straightforward, and they can vary depending on the laws in your state or region. But they can also catch things you might not expect: major gaps in employment, past legal issues that raise concerns, or things the candidate left off their resume for a reason. They’re not a guarantee that someone will—or won’t—be a problem, but they do give you a fuller picture. And that’s what you’re after.
In some industries, drug screening is part of the process too. This can feel awkward to bring up, especially if you want to create a chill, non-corporate vibe. But don’t underestimate the importance of screening for safety and reliability. Sometimes, the biggest red flag isn’t what’s found—it’s someone skipping the process entirely. So if you encounter a situation involving or someone refusing an employer drug test, it should absolutely make you pause and reconsider. This isn’t about judgment. It’s about protecting your workplace and your people.
Don’t Skip the Trial Run, Even If You’re in a Hurry
You might be short-staffed, overwhelmed, or running on fumes, but one of the best ways to avoid hiring mistakes is to try before you buy—so to speak. A paid working interview or trial shift can tell you more than two or three sit-down conversations ever will. It shows you how someone handles the work, how they interact with your team, and how they carry themselves when no one’s guiding them every second. That kind of real-time testing isn’t just for restaurant kitchens or customer service roles. It can be adapted for office jobs, creative work, and everything in between.
Let the person take on a real task, ideally something they’d be responsible for in the role. Don’t make it a perfect, controlled test—they’ll perform better under a little bit of pressure. See how they respond when something doesn’t go as planned. Do they freeze up? Do they ask smart questions? Do they take initiative, or do they wait for permission to act? This window into their working style can save you months of regret down the line.
Pay Attention to How They Make You—and Others—Feel
This part might sound a little woo-woo, but it’s not. Hiring is a deeply human process, especially in smaller settings. When someone walks into your business and sits across from you, how do they make you feel? Are you relaxed? Are they respectful? Do they seem genuinely interested in what you do, or are they only focused on what’s in it for them?
Also, take note of how they treat people who don’t have decision-making power. Were they kind to your front desk person? Did they make eye contact with your assistant or your barista? These little moments say more than polished talking points ever will. The way a person behaves when they think no one important is watching tells you what kind of teammate they’ll be when things get busy or tense.
Sometimes the right hire isn’t the flashiest. It’s the person who listens, shows up, stays steady, and lifts others up when the pressure’s on. Those are the people who become anchors in a small business—and finding them takes patience, not just paperwork.
The Bottom Line
Hiring well doesn’t mean being paranoid, and it doesn’t mean making the process harder than it has to be. It just means slowing down enough to notice what really matters. Trust your instincts, but back them up with real-world checks. Ask the right questions, listen for what’s unsaid, and don’t be afraid to walk away if something feels off. A little extra time spent on screening now can save you a lot of time, money, and stress later on.
