1. The outcome
What should be different in six months because this person joined? Write one or two sentences.
Guide
The remote hiring brief: what to decide before you interview.
Most hiring problems start before the first interview. Settle these seven points first and every later step gets easier.
Why write it down
A job title isn't a brief. "Marketing person" can mean five different jobs, and each candidate will hear the one they're best at. A written brief makes everyone, including you, agree on the job before you start judging people against it.
Seven things to decide
2. The first tasks
List the work waiting on day one. If you can't fill a first week, the role may not be ready.
3. The tools
Which systems will they use every day? Name them. Familiarity with your stack shortens the ramp-up.
4. The hours
How much of your working day do you need them online for? Which meetings must they attend? Remember your customers' hours if the role faces them.
5. Access
Which accounts, data and systems will they need, and who approves that access?
6. The test
What short task would show you, quickly, whether someone can do this job? Base it on real work.
7. The arrangement
Do you want them on your own payroll, or contracted, paid and looked after by someone else? Is the need ongoing or tied to an end date? Our comparison of six ways to hire sets out the options.
A one-page template
Role title:
In six months, success looks like:
First week's tasks:
Daily tools:
Required working hours and overlap:
Access needed:
Test task:
Preferred way of hiring (or "not sure yet"):
Got a draft brief?
Half-finished is fine. We'll fill the gaps with you and turn it into a search.