Episode 461: 10 Steps To Hiring Great Employees
Wed Feb 04 2026
10 Steps To Hiring Great Employees
Are you still climbing ladders to clean gutters at 6 p.m. because your "reliable" hire ghosted you? Or maybe you’re the dog walker getting called in for a shift because someone bailed an hour before it started. I know you’re exhausted, and I know you feel like you’ve tried everything even praying about it or putting it out into the universe. But the truth is, you’re likely hiring on a hope and a prayer because you’re desperate for help, not work.
In this episode, I’m pulling you off the hamster wheel. We’re moving from chaos to a proven system: the 10-Step Jump Hiring Method. I’m breaking down how to stop hiring "anyone with a pulse" and start building a team that actually values the opportunity. We’ll talk about why your gut feeling is lying to you, how to write job ads that read like love letters, and why investing in your people from day one changes everything. Stop guessing. Start building.
In This Episode You'll Discover
How to stop looking for "hard workers" and start defining your dream team member.
Why your boring job ads are attracting people who don't care and how to write ads that hit emotional buttons.
Using "anti-questions" to make the wrong people self-select out before they waste your time.
Why hiring off a "gut feeling" is like getting married on the first date (and how to fix it).
The simple math equation to know exactly when you can afford to hire without the late-night anxiety.
A simple trick to ensure you talk only 20% of the time during interviews.
How to make a new hire feel like a human, not a cog in a machine, from day one.
Timestamps
02:29 – The reality of ghosting and why "hiring on a prayer" fails.
04:54 – Why hiring based on a "gut feeling" is like getting married on the first date.
07:17 – The math of hiring: How to know if you can actually afford to grow.
09:38 – Phase One: Defining your ideal candidate avatar beyond just a "pulse".
12:01 – Using knockout questions to make the wrong people self-select out.
14:24 – Building a phased process and using an Applicant Tracking System (ATS).
18:49 – The "Drink Test": How to master the 80/20 rule in interviews.
Notable Quotes:
"Your hiring process should make people work for the opportunity to work for you."
"When you hire based off of a gut feeling, you're hiring someone you liked, not someone who's competent."
"Hiring is not a panic decision. It's a math equation."
Resources and Links
Get organized and stop the resume chaos. Click here to try my favorite applicant tracking system: Breezy HR (ATS): bellavasta.com/breezy
Want to stop losing your best people? Grab the book that changed how I look at retention: Never Lose an Employee by Joey Coleman
Take the guesswork out of personality and honesty. Use these assessments to vet your next hire:
Assessments: Orion Test or Predictive Index
Ready for a personalized audit of your system? Book a session and let’s fix your business together:
Strategy Call with Bella: bellavasta.com
Have a specific question or need a partner hookup? Shoot me a message directly: bella@bellavasta.com
Transcript
Welcome everybody to another episode of Bella in Your Business. My name is Bella Vasta. Today, we're going to talk about something that almost every single one of you are affected by. And that's how we feel about our hiring method. Are you the one that's still climbing ladders to clean gutters at 6 p.m. because your reliable employee ghosted you? Are you the one answering emergency HVAC calls at midnight because you can't trust anyone else with your clients? Are you the dog walker that's getting called in because someone decided to call out an hour before their shift?
If you're stuck on that hamster wheel, alright, spinning and spinning and spinning, working in your business instead of on your business, we're gonna fix that today. We're gonna talk about it because you're not alone.
More
10 Steps To Hiring Great Employees Are you still climbing ladders to clean gutters at 6 p.m. because your "reliable" hire ghosted you? Or maybe you’re the dog walker getting called in for a shift because someone bailed an hour before it started. I know you’re exhausted, and I know you feel like you’ve tried everything even praying about it or putting it out into the universe. But the truth is, you’re likely hiring on a hope and a prayer because you’re desperate for help, not work. In this episode, I’m pulling you off the hamster wheel. We’re moving from chaos to a proven system: the 10-Step Jump Hiring Method. I’m breaking down how to stop hiring "anyone with a pulse" and start building a team that actually values the opportunity. We’ll talk about why your gut feeling is lying to you, how to write job ads that read like love letters, and why investing in your people from day one changes everything. Stop guessing. Start building. In This Episode You'll Discover How to stop looking for "hard workers" and start defining your dream team member. Why your boring job ads are attracting people who don't care and how to write ads that hit emotional buttons. Using "anti-questions" to make the wrong people self-select out before they waste your time. Why hiring off a "gut feeling" is like getting married on the first date (and how to fix it). The simple math equation to know exactly when you can afford to hire without the late-night anxiety. A simple trick to ensure you talk only 20% of the time during interviews. How to make a new hire feel like a human, not a cog in a machine, from day one. Timestamps 02:29 – The reality of ghosting and why "hiring on a prayer" fails. 04:54 – Why hiring based on a "gut feeling" is like getting married on the first date. 07:17 – The math of hiring: How to know if you can actually afford to grow. 09:38 – Phase One: Defining your ideal candidate avatar beyond just a "pulse". 12:01 – Using knockout questions to make the wrong people self-select out. 14:24 – Building a phased process and using an Applicant Tracking System (ATS). 18:49 – The "Drink Test": How to master the 80/20 rule in interviews. Notable Quotes: "Your hiring process should make people work for the opportunity to work for you." "When you hire based off of a gut feeling, you're hiring someone you liked, not someone who's competent." "Hiring is not a panic decision. It's a math equation." Resources and Links Get organized and stop the resume chaos. Click here to try my favorite applicant tracking system: Breezy HR (ATS): bellavasta.com/breezy Want to stop losing your best people? Grab the book that changed how I look at retention: Never Lose an Employee by Joey Coleman Take the guesswork out of personality and honesty. Use these assessments to vet your next hire: Assessments: Orion Test or Predictive Index Ready for a personalized audit of your system? Book a session and let’s fix your business together: Strategy Call with Bella: bellavasta.com Have a specific question or need a partner hookup? Shoot me a message directly: bella@bellavasta.com Transcript Welcome everybody to another episode of Bella in Your Business. My name is Bella Vasta. Today, we're going to talk about something that almost every single one of you are affected by. And that's how we feel about our hiring method. Are you the one that's still climbing ladders to clean gutters at 6 p.m. because your reliable employee ghosted you? Are you the one answering emergency HVAC calls at midnight because you can't trust anyone else with your clients? Are you the dog walker that's getting called in because someone decided to call out an hour before their shift? If you're stuck on that hamster wheel, alright, spinning and spinning and spinning, working in your business instead of on your business, we're gonna fix that today. We're gonna talk about it because you're not alone.