Persona vault · For the first-time employer
Your first hire,
Your first hire,
without the rookie mistakes.
Going from just you to a team is the biggest step a small business takes. The legal, financial and human side of a first hire: what you must do, what you can skip, and how to make week one count.
The Five Minute VaultUK · 2026
The
First-Time Employer
First-Time Employer
About to make your first hire, and quietly terrified of getting it wrong.
When Should I Hire My First Employee?3 min
Generalist vs Specialist: Who Should I Hire First?5 min
How Do I Write a Job Description That Attracts Good Candidates?3 min
What Is PAYE?3 min
+ 5 more · ~35 minutes, start to finish
The reading order
The First-Time Employer's path, in order.
Not a pile of links — a sequence. Read straight through, or drop in where you are. Every question opens its full five-minute answer in the library.
01
Start here
Should you, and who
Hire the right gap, at the right time.
3 answers
01
HR & Recruitment
When Should I Hire My First Employee?
When demand is steady, not spiky, and the missing hands are costing you more than a salary would. Hire the bottleneck, not the wish.
3 min
02
Business Growth
Generalist vs Specialist: Who Should I Hire First?
Early on, a capable generalist who covers ground. Specialists pay off once a role is big and defined enough to fill their day.
5 min
03
HR & Recruitment
How Do I Write a Job Description That Attracts Good Candidates?
One clear outcome, three genuine must-haves, the rest nice to have. Describe the job, not the unicorn.
3 min
02
Build on it
Do it legally
The non-negotiables, in plain English.
3 answers
04
HR & Recruitment
What Is PAYE?
The system for collecting income tax and National Insurance from wages before you pay them. Register as an employer before the first payday.
3 min
05
HR & Recruitment
Can I Hire Someone on a Zero-Hours Contract?
Yes, and they suit genuinely variable work, but the worker keeps real rights and you cannot stop them taking other jobs.
3 min
06
HR & Recruitment
What Is the Employment Rights Bill?
A major shift in UK employment law, including day-one rights. Know what changes before you write a contract or run a probation.
5 min
03
When you're ready
Start them well
The first week sets the next year.
3 answers
07
HR & Recruitment
Why Does Employee Onboarding Matter?
A good first week sets the next year. A plan, an early win and someone to ask beats a warm welcome and a laptop.
3 min
08
09
HR & Recruitment
Can I Dismiss an Employee During Their Probation Period?
Usually more easily than later, but day-one rights and a fair, documented reason still apply. Probation is not a free pass.
5 min
Coming soon
HR & Recruitment
Redundancy vs Dismissal: What Is the Difference?
Redundancy is the role going; dismissal is the person. They follow different legal processes, and confusing them is how tribunals start.
5 min
Keep them coming
Every week, new answer to top questions for the first-time employer.
You've seen the value. Now keep it coming: every new answer for the first-time employer is sent straight to you. Tailored to your role, so you never have to come back and check.
01 — The future
New answers as they land
We publish to this vault every week. Get answers the moment they're live.
02 — Personalised
Tuned to your role
Picked for the first-time employer, not generic. The answers for the job you do.
03 — Guided
Delivered in sequence
Once a week, as a path you can follow, not an inbox to triage.
Choose your vaults →
One email a week · Unsubscribe in one click · No answer is gated
Also relevant
The topics these come from
Every answer in this vault has a permanent home in one of these topic hubs — browse the full set any time.
Answer first·
Evidence after·
Sourced·
Five minutes·
Free & open