Start with your highest-friction processes. Write procedures as if teaching someone new—if it's unclear, the SOP is incomplete. Include decision trees for edge cases. Update SOPs annually and whenever processes change.

Use the same scorecard for all candidates in a role. Have multiple people interview each candidate and compare scores. Document everything. This protects you legally and ensures you hire the best person, not your favorite personality.

Use Levels.fyi, Glassdoor, and LinkedIn Salary to research. Set salary bands with a range (e.g., $80-100k for a role). Pay at the high end when you have few people. Consistency prevents resentment and accusations of bias.

Track: time-to-hire, cost-per-hire, retention rate, and process cycle times. Compare month-over-month to spot trends. When metrics worsen, fix root causes immediately rather than ignoring the signal.