Prepare before you start hiring.

What role are you hiring, and why now?

Role title and a sentence on the trigger — growth, backfill, new capability, restructure. The "why now" shapes everything that follows.

What does success look like in the first 90 days?

Three concrete outcomes. Not personality traits or vibes — what will this person have done, built, or changed? If you can't name it, you're not ready to hire.

What are the true must-haves — and what are you flexible on?

Be honest. If you'd hire someone without it, it's a nice-to-have. If you wouldn't move forward without it, it's a must-have. Conflating the two wastes time and filters out good people.

What's the biggest risk in this hire — and how will you test for it?

Every hire has a failure mode. Someone too junior, someone who can't operate without heavy process, someone great at interviews but not at the actual job. Name the one you're most worried about, and how you'll surface it.

What does a clear no look like for this role?

What would make you stop the process regardless of the upside? Naming your dealbreakers now stops you from rationalising your way past them when someone seems strong on paper.