Employer guide
Your first professional hire as a UK small business
A first professional hire takes a UK small business about six weeks from deciding to hire to someone starting — our own median across 46 filled roles is 42 days, and a first-time employer adds a week or two for registration and paperwork. The route that fits most first hires is to advertise the role on every major board for a single flat fee, screen by phone, and interview twice; a managed search on a fixed fee makes sense when the role is specialist or you cannot spare the hours. Register as an employer with HMRC before the first payday, set up a pension scheme, check right to work, and issue a written statement of employment on or before day one. The mistake that costs the most time is a vague advert without a salary.
The order of events, and how long each takes
| Step | What it involves | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Decide the role and the salary | A one-page description and a salary range you can defend | 1–3 days |
| Register as an employer with HMRC | Online; you need it before the first payday, and it can take up to a week to get your PAYE reference | 1 week, in parallel |
| Advertise | One vacancy on every major board for a single fee, or a managed search | 2–4 weeks live |
| Screen and interview | Phone screen the same week, two interviews at most | 1–2 weeks |
| Offer, checks, paperwork | Right-to-work check, references, written statement, pension enrolment | 1 week |
| Notice period | The candidate's current employer, not you, sets this | 1–4 weeks |
Across the 46 roles we publish, the median time from brief to accepted offer was 42 days. A first-time employer should plan for six to eight weeks door to door, because the registration and the notice period sit outside the search itself.
The legal steps, in one place
GOV.UK's employing staff for the first time guidance lists the duties; the ones that trip up first-time employers are these:
- Register as an employer with HMRC before the first payday. Do it the week you decide to hire, not the week they start.
- Check the candidate's right to work before the start date, and keep a copy of what you checked.
- Employers' liability insurance — a legal requirement from the day you employ someone, and your existing business policy may not include it.
- A workplace pension. The Pensions Regulator sets the automatic enrolment duties; your payroll software or accountant will usually handle the scheme.
- A written statement of employment particulars on or before the first day. A short contract covers it.
- Pay at least the National Minimum Wage for the person's age, and check whether the role attracts any sector rules.
- A DBS check only if the role requires one — most office roles do not.
None of these is hard. All of them are slow if you discover them the week before someone starts.
The advert is where most first hires go wrong
The commonest failure we see in first-time employers is an advert that describes the ideal person and omits the facts a candidate uses to decide. Include, in the first few lines:
- The salary. A range at least. Silence reads as low and halves the applications.
- Where the work is done. Office, hybrid or remote, and the days.
- The hours. Full time, part time, the actual start and finish.
- What the business does and how big it is. A first hire into a three-person company is joining the founders; say so honestly, it is a selling point to the right person.
- What the job actually is on a Tuesday. Tasks, not adjectives.
An advert with those five things, on every major board at once, is most of the job for an administrator, a bookkeeper, a sales support role or a junior professional.
Screening: do it by phone, the same week
Applications arrive in the first ten days. Ring the plausible ones within a day or two and ask four things: why this role, what they are earning now, when they could start, and one question about the actual work. Fifteen minutes per call removes most of the shortlist and tells you who is serious.
Interview twice at most. A first interview to decide whether you could work together, a second with a practical task. Small businesses lose good candidates by adding a third round to reassure themselves.
What it costs, and which route fits a first hire
| Route | Cost | Who does the screening | Fits when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advertise it yourself, every major board, one fee | From £399 +VAT | You | Administrators, bookkeepers, support roles, most first hires |
| Guaranteed Hire, managed search on a flat fee | £1,500 +VAT up to £30,000; £2,000 +VAT for £30,000–£44,999; 100% refund if not filled | Us | Specialist roles, or when you cannot spare the hours |
| Contingency agency, percentage of salary | Typically 15%–25%, so £6,000 at 20% on a £30,000 hire | Them | A niche you cannot reach any other way |
For a first hire the honest advice is the first row unless the role is specialist. The advertising fee is small, the screen is yours, and you learn what the market thinks of your offer in a fortnight. If nobody suitable applies, the advert or the offer is the problem, and a managed search on a flat fee with a refund if the role is not filled is the next step rather than the first.
The mistakes that cost months
- Advertising without a salary. The single biggest cause of a quiet advert.
- Waiting for the perfect candidate. Interview the good ones this week; the perfect one is employed elsewhere.
- A slow decision. A candidate with one other offer will take it while you deliberate.
- Registering with HMRC late. It cannot be rushed, and you cannot run payroll without it.
- Reposting an unchanged advert. If two weeks produced nothing, change the offer or the wording, not the date.
If you would rather talk it through, tell us the role and we will say what it is likely to cost and how long it should take, from the roles we have already filled.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take a small business to make its first hire?
About six weeks. Our own median time to fill across 46 filled roles is 42 days from brief to accepted offer, and a first-time employer should add a week or two for HMRC registration, pension set-up and the candidate's notice period. Vague adverts without a salary are the commonest reason it takes longer.
What do I legally need to do before employing someone in the UK?
Register as an employer with HMRC before the first payday, check the candidate's right to work, get employers' liability insurance, enrol eligible staff in a workplace pension, and give a written statement of employment particulars on or before their first day. GOV.UK lists the steps and each one takes minutes once you know it exists.
How much does it cost to recruit one person?
Advertising the role on every major board costs from £399 +VAT with our job advertising service and you do the screening. A managed search on a flat fee is £1,500 +VAT for roles up to £30,000 and £2,000 +VAT in the £30,000 to £44,999 band, with a 100% refund if the role is not filled. A contingency agency typically charges 15% to 25% of salary, which is £6,000 at 20% on a £30,000 hire.
Should my first hire be through an agency?
Only if the role is specialist or you genuinely cannot spare the hours. Most first hires — administrators, bookkeepers, sales support, junior professionals — fill well from a clear advert on the major boards and a disciplined phone screen. An agency or a managed search earns its fee when the right people are employed elsewhere and not applying.
Sources
- GOV.UK — Employing staff for the first time, the seven steps
- GOV.UK — Register as an employer with HMRC
- GOV.UK — Check a job applicant's right to work
- The Pensions Regulator — automatic enrolment duties for a new employer
- How long roles take to fill — our benchmark data across 46 filled roles
- TalentFinder job advertising — one fee, every major board
Want the fixed price for your role?
Advertise it yourself from £399 +VAT, or hand the whole search to a dedicated recruiter with Guaranteed Hire — a flat fee by salary band with a 100% refund if the role is not filled.
See Guaranteed Hire Advertise a job
Or call 0161 327 2895.