Recently I announced that I’m hiring a marketer for a local Toastmasters club.
It is a small, part-time role — just 10 hours per month. Nothing glamorous. But the process itself turned into an unexpectedly interesting experiment.
Not because I suddenly became an expert recruiter.
Quite the opposite.
This is my first time being fully on the hiring side.
In the past I participated in interviews as a technical expert. I evaluated developers, reviewed assignments, and helped companies make decisions. But it was always someone else’s company.
This time I am the one paying.
And because of that, I can shape the process intentionally.
Small scope by design
The position itself is intentionally constrained.
I offer roughly 10 hours of paid work per month. That immediately forces clarity:
- What is realistically achievable?
- What actually matters?
- What brings results instead of noise?
It also forced me to think carefully about ownership.
I have another project in development that will eventually require marketing too. But after thinking it through, I decided to keep that project under my direct control for now.
Instead of spreading one person thin across multiple projects, I want the marketer to focus on one thing and do it well.
Knowing the product matters
Toastmasters is actually a perfect environment for this kind of experiment.
I know the product deeply.
Over the years I served in almost every club role, helped organize meetings, and later oversaw multiple clubs both locally and abroad.
I know:
- what Toastmasters genuinely offers
- where the weaknesses are
- who benefits the most from it
- and where we are currently leaving people on the table
That allows me to guide candidates and give them context.
But deliberately not all of it.
I want to see how they think, not what they know.
A gap in knowledge is easy to fill.
A way of thinking is much harder to change.
What I noticed during interviews
One interesting observation appeared almost immediately.
Most candidates naturally focused on content creation:
- posts
- reels
- carousels
- visuals
But almost nobody talked about distribution.
Nobody mentioned specialized groups, local communities, partnerships, or existing places where the right people already gather.
That surprised me.
Not because the candidates were weak.
Actually, several of them were thoughtful, honest, and clearly capable of growth.
But it revealed an interesting pattern:
Many marketers are taught how to create content. Far fewer are taught how to place it where it actually gets seen.
For a small local organization with limited budget, this difference matters enormously.
Treating candidates differently
I also realized something else.
Over the years, as a software developer and consultant, I accumulated a lot of frustration with hiring processes.
Especially unpaid assignments.
I did many of them early in my career.
Later I simply stopped.
Not because I was arrogant.
Because I started valuing my own time.
So I decided to approach this differently.
Some candidates will receive a small assignment: writing a short marketing post.
And I will pay them for it.
Not because the amount is life-changing.
But because I believe that if I ask someone to invest real effort into my process, their time deserves respect.
I also decided that every candidate will receive feedback.
Even if it is short.
In a world where companies often disappear without a word, even a simple:
“Thank you for your time, but I chose another direction.”
makes a difference.
And honestly, the bar is extremely low.
Hiring as a long-term system
What I’m really building here is not just a one-time role.
I see this as a low-risk environment where I can give someone an opportunity, observe how they think, guide them, and potentially grow together over time.
As a small company, I can afford to do this differently.
I do not need a perfect senior marketer immediately.
I need someone who can learn, think, and improve.
Final thought
This process reminded me that hiring is not just evaluation.
It is also product design.
Every choice communicates something:
- how you treat people
- what behavior you reward
- what kind of culture you create around yourself
And people remember that.
You would be surprised how often candidates talk about their interview experiences later.
Sometimes the interview itself becomes part of your reputation.
And maybe that reputation starts forming long before someone officially joins your company.
