The 12-Step Hiring Process That Changed My Agency

I used to hire based on vibes.

Did I like the person? Could I see us being friends? Did they seem nice on a 15-minute call?

That was my entire hiring process. And it gave me some of the most painful experiences of my business.

Bad hires cost me clients. They cost me sleep. They cost me money I didn’t have to waste. And every time one didn’t work out, I blamed myself for being a bad leader.

But the truth? I wasn’t a bad leader. I just had a terrible hiring process.

After years of trial and error (heavy on the error), I built a 12-step process that has completely transformed how we hire at Lucky Girl Social. We’ve brought on four incredible women in the last 30 days alone. And they’re not just good. They’re people who make me pinch myself daily.

Here’s the full process.

The Prep Work (Before You Even Post)

Step 1: Build a Scalable Org Chart

Before you hire anyone, you need to know where they fit in the big picture. Not just for right now. For where you want to be at seven figures.

I made the mistake early on of hiring by function: a videographer here, a graphic designer there, a separate person for scheduling. It became a logistical nightmare. Nobody owned the full client experience, so nobody took responsibility for results.

Now I hire account managers who own the entire client relationship. One person, one client. Full ownership. So much simpler, so much more profitable.

Step 2: Define Your Company Values

I used to think company values were corporate fluff. I was so wrong.

Values became my decision-making framework. When I needed to let someone go, I could look at our values and ask: “Is this person operating within them?” It turned an emotional decision into a factual one.

Pick three to five values. Define what they mean AND what they don’t mean. Ours are empowerment, ownership, joy, integrity, and growth.

Step 3: Write a KPI-Driven Job Description

“Help with social media” is not a job description. Be specific:

What are the responsibilities? What tools should they know? What does success look like in measurable terms? What’s the compensation?

Include KPIs from day one. For an account manager, that might be 85% of clients reporting positive results, analytics reports delivered by the 5th of each month, all content submitted by the 16th.

When people know how they’ll be measured, they self-select. The right people get excited. The wrong people don’t apply.

The Hiring Process

Step 4: Post Strategically

Where you post matters. My favorite channels:

Instagram with a ManyChat keyword trigger. Hiring posts always get massive engagement, and they create FOMO for prospects watching from the sidelines (“She’s hiring again? She must be crushing it.”)

Your Facebook group. Don’t assume everyone there wants to be an entrepreneur. Many talented people tried entrepreneurship, realized it wasn’t for them, and would love to work for someone they admire.

LinkedIn. Especially for higher-level roles.

Skip Indeed. The quality of applicants has never been worth the volume.

Step 5: The Application

Use a Typeform with specific, strategic questions. Not just “tell me about yourself.” Ask scenario questions:

“You’re assigned a task without a clear SOP but it’s time sensitive. What’s your process?”

The answer you’re looking for: they communicate proactively, ask for support, and don’t miss the deadline. Create a grading rubric BEFORE you review applications so you’re evaluating objectively, not emotionally.

Step 6: The Automatic Video Request

This is where the magic happens. After someone submits their application, they automatically receive an email asking for a short video introduction with a deadline.

This filters beautifully. People who don’t follow instructions? Gone. People who can’t meet a deadline? Gone. People who aren’t comfortable on camera but are applying for a client-facing role? You know immediately.

Our Presley submitted a six-minute video when the max was five. She was so good we didn’t care. She’s been on our team for three years.

Step 7: The Group Interview

I know you want to do one-on-one interviews with everyone. I’m telling you: don’t.

Ten one-on-one interviews = ten hours. One group interview with ten people = one hour. And you get MORE information, not less.

In a group setting, you see who speaks up. Who shows leadership. Who follows instructions when you say “if I don’t call on you, drop your answer in the chat.” Who’s clearly multitasking in the background. Who creates FOMO and excitement vs. who blends in.

It also creates competition that benefits you. Candidates see other talented people want this role, and it raises the stakes.

Step 8: The Assessment

For a content role, give them a real task. Provide brand guidelines and have them create a carousel or a Reel concept. Have them track their time so you understand their capacity.

For any role, include the personal vision exercise: Where do you want to be in 90 days? One year? Three years? Ten years?

This tells you everything. Someone who wants to launch their own business in six months isn’t your long-term hire. Someone who wants stability and growth? That’s your person.

Step 9: The Vulnerability Exercise

We ask candidates to watch Brené Brown’s “The Power of Vulnerability” and tell us what it meant to them.

Sounds unconventional. It is. And the responses tell us more about culture fit than any traditional interview question ever could.

Step 10: The One-on-One Interview

By now, you should be down to two or three candidates max. This is where you go deep.

Ask the uncomfortable questions: “Why do you want to work for someone else after being an entrepreneur?” “What does your childcare situation look like?” “What’s your honest timeline for this role?”

Don’t avoid hard questions because you like the person. That’s how bad hires happen.

Step 11: The Offer

Send a clear offer letter with compensation, start date, and exactly what the first two weeks look like. Remove all ambiguity.

Step 12: Onboarding

This is where most agency owners drop the ball. You survived the hiring process and then throw someone into the deep end with no documentation.

Build an onboarding document that covers: platform access, team introductions, first-week tasks (day by day), 30-day milestones, SOPs for every recurring task, and KPI expectations.

Use Tango.us to record your screen as you do tasks. It auto-generates step-by-step documentation. Do this once and never explain the same process twice.

Schedule a 90-day review on your calendar NOW, before you forget.

The Ongoing Relationship

Once they’re hired, the work isn’t over.

Beginning of day reports. Not micromanagement. Transparency. Your team shares what they’re working on. You share what you’re working on. Everyone rows in the same direction.

Feedback forms. Quarterly, ask your team: How can I lead you better? What do you need? Are you growing? Their feedback makes you a better leader.

KPI monitoring. Track it. Review it. Celebrate wins. Address gaps early.

Offboarding with grace. If someone needs to go, give 30 days notice when possible. Do it on Zoom, not email. Send a follow-up in writing. Request an exit survey. Protect your reputation.

The Real Cost of Skipping Steps

I know this looks like a lot. It is. But here’s what bad hiring costs you:

Lost clients who got subpar work. Months of training someone who leaves. Your reputation with every client that person touched. The emotional toll of firing someone you like but who isn’t performing.

This process exists so you hire once, right, and build a team that stays for years. That’s freedom. That’s what you’re actually building.

Frequently Asked Questions

When am I ready to hire?

When lead generation is suffering because you’re buried in client work. When you’re turning away opportunities. When you’re doing $15/hour tasks instead of $500/hour work. You don’t need to be at a specific revenue number. You need to be at capacity.

Should my first hire be a contractor or employee?

Contractor. Start part-time (10-15 hours/week). Lower risk, lower commitment. Scale up once your systems are proven.

What if I can’t find good candidates?

Revisit your job posting. Check your compensation. Ask yourself: would YOU apply for this role based on how it’s described? Also expand where you post. Facebook groups and Instagram tend to attract higher-quality candidates than job boards.

How much should I pay my first account manager?

Calculate the revenue they’ll manage. If they’re handling four clients at $3K each ($12K/month), paying them $2-3K is a 4-6x return. That’s excellent leverage.

What if my hire doesn’t work out?

If you followed this process, at least you know you gave them every tool to succeed. Have an honest conversation, give notice when possible, and learn from it. Bad hires aren’t failures. They’re data.