The Employee Experience Starts Before Day One (Let’s Talk About Hiring)
You’ve probably heard “your people are your greatest asset.”
But what if the way you hire those people is the biggest predictor of how long they’ll stay, how well they’ll thrive, and whether they’ll trust you from day one?
In small nonprofits, hiring is often squeezed between grant deadlines, event planning, and fixing the printer for the third time. HR teams? Luxury. It’s usually leadership or frontline staff doing their best with the time they don’t have.
But here’s the thing:
🛑 A rushed hire creates more work later.
✅ A thoughtful process sets the tone for everything that comes next.
🚩 A personal example (aka what not to do)
I once took a job where there wasn’t a written job description. The operations manager who interviewed me described a strategic, proactive position — something I could really grow into. She said she wanted someone to take initiative and help build out internal systems. Cool, that’s my jam. I was all in.
But the executive director? She had a very different idea.
One of the first red flags? She told me her preferred method of communication was to share information with one person and let it “trickle down” through the team.
Yikes.
As the months went on, it became clear that she and the operations manager were seldom aligned on staffing decisions or team management. I kept trying to make the role into what I thought I was hired for — organizing systems, solving problems, improving workflows. I was proactive. I asked for feedback. I sent regular updates.
But the ED never responded. She’d assign projects and then ignore my questions, never acknowledge when I finished something, and only let me know she was dissatisfied after it was too late to course-correct.
I even got a raise a few weeks in, which made me think I was on the right track. Until my first performance review — scheduled on Christmas Eve — when I told her I was feeling frustrated because I wasn’t allowed to do the job I thought I was hired for six months ago.
Her response?
“Oh, it’s really just a receptionist job. We added ‘manager’ to the title to give it some gravitas.”
Reader, I left.
Eight months of confusion, misalignment, and silent resentment — all because there was no clear job description, no leadership alignment, and no hiring process grounded in reality.
🛠️ Three simple shifts for better hiring
You don’t need a giant HR team to get this right. Just a little intention.
1. Write job posts that sound like you
Cut the corporate jargon. Be honest about your mission, your work style, and what success looks like. Mention if your office runs on memes, if flexibility matters, or if you expect team members to wear many hats. These signals help the right folks find you.
Not sure where to start? That’s what I help with. 😉
2. Ask values-based interview questions
Instead of only focusing on experience, ask:
“How do you handle feedback?”
“What makes a workplace feel safe to you?”
“What’s something you’ve learned from a tough job?”
You’ll get better insights — and better conversations.
3. Keep applicants in the loop
Even if it’s a “no,” a quick follow-up goes a long way. Kindness and clarity are part of good HR. (And good karma.)
💡 Culture isn’t what you say — it’s what you do
Hiring is your first chance to walk your talk. If you say you value transparency, show it in the hiring process. If collaboration is your thing, make hiring a collaborative effort. If you believe people matter, prove it before they even join the team.
Because your next hire? They’re not just filling a role.
They’re stepping into your culture. And that starts long before their first day.
✨ Want help creating a hiring process that reflects your values and attracts the right people? Download this checklist to get started — and reach out if your team could use some heart-forward hiring support.