Lesson 6 of 9 · 6 min
Twelve red flags, six green ones, and what to do in week two
Most hires that fail showed it early, and the founder was too tired to act. Here is what to look for, by stage, and the decision rule so that tiredness does not get a vote.
At application
- The cover letter could have gone to any store. If they did not spend ten minutes on your brand before applying, they will not learn its voice after.
- “Managed Shopify stores” with no store names, categories, volumes or responsibilities. The absence of specifics is the signal.
- No portfolio and no example store. Anyone with real experience can name one.
- A rate far below the experience claimed. Pricing is data; one of the two numbers is wrong.
At interview
- No questions about your business.
- Cannot describe one real problem they solved, in detail.
- Treats it as a quiz to win rather than a conversation in both directions.
- Cannot explain why they left the last role, or the pattern of departures repeats.
In week one
- No questions during shadow week. Either they think they know it all, or they will not raise problems later.
- Replies still templated after written feedback on voice.
- Nothing written down. Strong VAs document reflexively, from day two.
- A small commitment missed with no heads-up. Small ones missed early predict large ones missed later.
The rule
One flag alone: a direct conversation, what you saw, two weeks to correct. Two in the first week: address both at once and start preparing to replace. Three or more in two weeks: replace now. The expensive mistake is the slow-motion firing, six months of hoping while operations quietly degrade. Week two is always cheaper than week sixteen.
The green flags
Week-one questions that go past “which tool” to “why this way.” Volunteering to write the procedure before being asked. A first weekly summary with an observation you would not have made. A process improvement suggested in month one, as a suggestion. Feedback visibly reflected in the next batch. Their own carefully held opinions about your customers and products. Three or four of these in a month, and you have a hire to build around.
And the single indicator, if you only track one: is work leaving your plate faster than it arrives? By week four you should feel less busy. If you feel more busy, waiting will not fix it.
Checked From the red flags guide, with its argument for hiring through an agency left out.
The twelve flags, the decision rule and the green flags are the guide’s. The guide closes by arguing that the agency model absorbs every one of these risks and rematches within 48 hours; that is a fair point about agencies in general and a pitch for this one in particular, and it is not in the course. The flags apply to an agency’s operator exactly as they apply to a direct hire.