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Hiring

⏱ 50 min9 steps

Hiring is where the words you choose carry the most legal weight. A careless line in a job post, or one wrong question in an interview, can shut out good people and land you in trouble. You'll have Claude draft the post and the questions, check the wording, and keep every decision about people with you. Bring notes on the job. The pay line is where most owners get stuck. It can stay blank until you've checked the rules where you are.

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  1. Read the rules on job ads and interview questions

    This lesson follows US federal guidance from the , checked on 2026-10-20. States, cities and other countries add their own rules, some stricter, so check yours too. This isn't legal advice. If you're unsure about a post or a question, ask a lawyer who handles employment before you use it.

    The EEOC says it's illegal to publish a job ad that shows a preference for, or discourages, people because of race, color, religion, sex (the page includes transgender status, sexual orientation and pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information. Its own example is an ad asking for "recent college graduates", which may put off people over 40.

    Before a job offer, the EEOC says, the questions you ask should stick to what you need to judge whether someone can do the job. You can't ask about a disability before an offer, and questions about race, color, sex, national origin, age or religion can be used as evidence of an intent to discriminate. You also can't ask about genetic information, like family medical history. Asking someone to describe or show how they'd do a task in the job is fine.

    1. Open the two EEOC pages under Helpful extras at the end of this lesson. Read the parts on job ads and on questions before an offer.
    2. Search for the rules where you are on job ads, interview questions and showing pay in job posts. Some places require a pay range in the post.
    EEOC The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the federal agency that enforces the laws against discrimination at work. All words
    That's not what I see
    My business is small. Do these rules apply to me?
    Some laws cover only employers above a certain number of staff, and the number differs from law to law and place to place. State and city rules often cover smaller businesses than federal ones. Check yours. The habits in this lesson cost nothing at any size: questions about the job only, and the same questions for everyone.

  2. Write down what the job really is

    A clear job makes a fair post. An electrician might be hiring an apprentice, a garden center a weekend assistant, an insurance office a part-time admin, and a one-person photographer a helper for weddings.

    1. Write the tasks the job does in a normal week.
    2. Write the must-haves, and next to each, why the job needs it. A driver's license for a job that drives counts. "Good fit" doesn't.
    3. Write the hours, the place, the start date and how to apply.
    4. Write FILL IN for the pay range until you've checked your local rules.
    That's not what I see
    I'm not sure what to pay.
    Leave it as FILL IN for now. Look at what similar local jobs pay, and check your local rules on showing pay in job posts before you post.

  3. Start a new chat and set the rules

    This sets the rules for every word Claude writes about the job, before it writes one.

    drafts and sorts; a person approves anything with a price, a date or your name on it. A job post has all three. Claude drafts, and you check every word and make every decision.

    Don't paste anything about real applicants into this chat, or any chat. Your notes on the job are all Claude needs.

    1. Open the or claude.ai and start a new chat.
    2. Copy the prompt below.
    I own a small business, [what you do], and I'm hiring for one job. You'll help me write the job post and the questions in this chat. The rules: you draft, and I check every word and make every decision. Describe only the work and what it needs. Never use words that point to age, sex, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, pregnancy, family status or any other protected trait, like "young", "recent graduate", "digital native", "he" or "she", or "native English speaker". Every requirement must be needed to do the job. Write FILL IN for the pay range and anything else I haven't given you. Never guess pay. Don't name any law, and don't tell me the post is legal. First, read my notes on the job and ask me one question at a time about anything missing. My notes: [paste your notes]
    1. Paste it into the chat. Replace the first part in square brackets with what you do, like heating and cooling, a garden center or an insurance office.
    2. Replace the last part in square brackets with your notes from Step 2.
    3. Send it, then answer Claude's questions one at a time.
    prompt What you type to Claude. A good one says what you want, how to work and what never to do. All wordsAI Short for artificial intelligence. Here it means a program like Claude that reads what you write and writes back in plain words. All wordsClaude app Claude on your phone or computer, where you chat with it by typing. claude.ai is the same thing in a web browser. All words

    You should see:

    Claude says it understands the rules, then asks its first question about the job.

    That's not what I see
    Claude asked me everything at once.
    Type this and send it: One at a time, please. Then answer the first one.

  4. Have Claude draft the job post

    This prompt writes a short post that describes the work and leaves the pay blank for you.

    1. Copy the prompt below.
    Write the job post. Include: the job title; two lines on the business; what the work is day to day; the must-haves, each one needed for the job; a short list of nice-to-haves; the hours, the place and the start date; the pay as FILL IN PAY RANGE; how to apply; and a line saying applicants can ask for any change they need to the application or the interview. Keep it under 250 words, in plain words.
    1. Paste it into the same chat and send it.
    2. Check each must-have against your list from Step 2.

    You should see:

    A job post with each of those parts, and FILL IN PAY RANGE where the pay goes.

    That's not what I see
    Claude added a must-have I don't need, like a degree or years of experience.
    Delete it, or move it to the nice-to-haves. A requirement you can't explain shuts people out for no reason to do with the job.

  5. Have Claude check the post for wording that shuts people out

    This prompt has Claude reread the post looking for words that put people off for reasons that aren't about the job. It's a second pair of eyes, and it can miss things.

    1. Copy the prompt below.
    Read the post as someone checking it for wording that could put off or shut out people for reasons that aren't about the job, like age, sex, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, pregnancy or family status. Quote each word or line you'd change, say why in one line, and suggest plainer wording. Then list any must-have that might not be needed for the job, so I can check it. Don't tell me the post is legal or safe.
    1. Paste it into the same chat and send it.
    2. Make the changes you agree with, in your own words.
    3. Read the post once more yourself, with the EEOC's example in mind.

    You should see:

    A list of quoted words or lines with a reason and a suggested change for each, then a list of must-haves to check.

    That's not what I see
    Claude found nothing to change.
    Read it again yourself, with the EEOC's example in mind: words like "recent graduates" can put off people over 40. Claude can miss things, so the last check is yours.

  6. Have Claude write the screening questions

    This prompt writes a few questions applicants answer when they apply, with a note on what a good answer covers, so everyone is scored the same way.

    1. Copy the prompt below.
    Write five short screening questions for applicants to answer when they apply. Each one asks only about the job: the must-haves, the hours, the start date, or a short "what would you do if" question from real moments in this work. Never ask about age, date of birth, family, children, pregnancy, health, disability, family medical history, religion, where someone is from, their first language, or anything else the job doesn't need. Under each question, write what a good answer covers, so I can score every applicant the same way.
    1. Paste it into the same chat and send it.
    2. Cross out any question you couldn't explain to the applicant as being about the job.

    You should see:

    Five job-related questions, each with a note on what a good answer covers.

    That's not what I see

    Nobody has reported a snag on this step yet. Getting stuck is normal. Read the step again one line at a time, and compare your screen with the video.

  7. Have Claude write the interview questions

    This prompt writes the questions you'll ask every candidate, in the same order, plus a list of questions you must never ask.

    1. Copy the prompt below.
    Write eight interview questions for this job. Use only job-related questions, the same ones for every candidate in the same order. Include questions about similar work they've done, two "what would you do if" questions from real moments in this job, and one about the hours and the start date. Under each, write what a good answer shows. Then list questions I must never ask, with a one-line reason for each, like questions about age, children or family plans, pregnancy, health or disability, family medical history, religion, or where they or their family are from.
    1. Paste it into the same chat and send it.
    2. Read the never-ask list out loud once, so it's fresh before your first interview.

    You should see:

    Eight questions with a note under each, then a list of questions never to ask, each with a reason.

    That's not what I see
    Small talk in the interview drifts to family, church or where they grew up.
    Steer it back to the job. Don't write down what they said, and don't let it count for or against them.

  8. Read the applications yourself

    Don't put applications into AI, even with the names taken out. That means résumés, answers, contact details, anything an applicant sends you. Don't use AI to screen, score, sort or rank applicants. AI can be biased. It learned from writing full of old patterns, and it can score people lower for reasons that have nothing to do with the job, like a gap in work, a school or an age it guesses from dates. You can't see why it ranked someone where it did, and some places have their own rules on using AI in hiring. A person reads every application and makes every decision.

    1. Print your with the notes on what a good answer covers.
    2. Score each applicant's answers with those notes, the same way for everyone.
    3. Decide who to interview yourself, and write one line on why, about the job.
    screening questions Short questions applicants answer when they apply, so you can see who meets the must-haves before you interview. All words
    That's not what I see
    I've got too many applications to read.
    Read the screening answers first, scored with your notes, and set aside anyone who doesn't meet a must-have. Then read the rest in full. Don't hand the sorting to AI.

  9. Put the hiring kit on one page

    This prompt saves the post, both sets of questions and the never-ask list with the rules at the top, ready for the next hire.

    1. Copy the prompt below.
    Put the job post, the screening questions with their notes, the interview questions with their notes, and the never-ask list on one page called Hiring kit. Keep every FILL IN. At the top, write these rules: Job-related questions only, the same ones for everyone. No words that point to age, sex, race, religion, national origin, disability, pregnancy or family. The pay range is checked against my local rules before I post. Applications never go into AI, even with the names taken out. A person reads every application and makes every decision. Rules vary by place, so I check mine.
    1. Paste it into the same chat and send it.
    2. Copy the page into a document called Hiring kit.
    3. Fill in the pay range once you've checked your local rules.

    You should see:

    One page with the rules at the top, then the job post, both sets of questions and the never-ask list.

    That's not what I see
    The page looks messy when I paste it.
    Ask Claude for it as plain text, with a blank line between sections. Then copy it again.
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Your challenge

Build the hiring kit for the next job you expect to fill, even if it's months away. Check the pay rules where you are, fill in the pay range, and have someone you trust read the post before it goes anywhere.

Helpful extras

Last checked 2026-10-20

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