If you've ever fallen down a TikTok hole of sorority rush videos, you know the drill. Matching outfits. A lot of clapping. Girls rotating through rooms every ten minutes, having the same conversation over and over until everyone's voice is gone.
It looks ridiculous. But underneath the glitter, rush is a hiring process. A big one. Hundreds of people, a few spots, a week to decide.
And honestly? Some of it is smarter than how most small businesses hire. Some of it is exactly what we should never copy. So let's sort it.
Steal this
- 1. Lots of short chats, not one big interview.
In rush, nobody gets judged on one conversation. You meet people in round one, again in round two, again later in the week. A bad ten minutes doesn't sink you.
Compare that to the usual SME interview: one hour, one person, and if the candidate was nervous or stuck in traffic, that's it. Two or three shorter conversations tell you far more than one long one.
- 2. The same people meet everyone.
Every candidate rotates through the same rooms. Nobody gets the friendly interviewer while someone else gets the grumpy one. That's what makes the comparison fair.
If you have two people doing interviews, have both of them see every shortlisted candidate. Or at least ask everyone the same questions.
- 3. It goes both ways.
The candidates are choosing too. Rush is as much about "do I want to be here?" as "do they want me?"
So be honest about the job. Tell them about the Saturday shifts, the busy months, the boss who replies to WhatsApp at 11pm. The people who stay in after hearing that are the ones who'll stay in the job.
Skip that
- 1. "Fit" as a feeling.
This is where rush goes wrong. At the end of the week, a lot of decisions come down to "she just felt like one of us." Which usually means she looked like them, sounded like them, and grew up like them.
We do the same thing at work and call it culture fit. If you can't say what "fit" means, you can't check it. And if you can't check it, it's probably just "like me."
- 2. Who you know.
In rush, having a sister or a mum who was in the house gives you a head start. At work, it's "my friend's son is looking for something." Referrals are fine. A referral that skips the process isn't.
- 3. Deciding behind closed doors, with nothing written down.
Rush decisions happen late at night, in a room, with no record of why. If someone asks later, nobody can really explain it.
That's the bit that hurts small businesses most. If a candidate asks why they didn't get the job, "we just went with someone else" isn't an answer you want to be giving.
"If you can't say what fit means, you can't check it."
Try it on Monday
Before you open a single CV, write down three things this person will actually have to do in the job. Not "team player." Real things, like "close the shop alone on a Sunday" or "handle a supplier who's three days late."
Next to each one, write how you'll check it. A question, a quick scenario, or a short paid trial.
Then run it like rush, minus the clapping: two short conversations instead of one long one, the same questions for everyone, and everyone writes down their scores before anyone starts discussing.
Keep the receipt
That little list is your record. It takes five minutes, and it's the difference between "she just fit" and "here's why we picked her."
If anyone ever asks, you'll be glad it's there.
Next in this series: "team player", "hard worker", "good attitude" and what you actually mean when you write them.