Hiring the wrong person can be catastrophic. Hiring the right person can really make or break my project.

I use the same 17 step process every time I hire someone for one of my animated projects.

This is the same process I have used to hire people for the other eight animations I have produced. I use it for animators, background designers, and voice actors.

It sounds like a lot, but the individual steps are small. Having clear instructions makes the whole thing easier for me to follow.

So this is my literal step by step process.

Steps 1 and 2: I Define the Job and the Person

Step 1 is identifying the need.

What do I actually need done?

If I am hiring a background designer, what type of backgrounds do I need? How many? What is the budget? How fast do I need them?

I try to understand what I need before I ask someone else to do it.

Step 2 is identifying the ideal candidate.

Now that I know what needs to get done, I try to understand who would be the best person for the job.

These are the qualities I look for, in order of importance:

1. Trust. Can I see their social media? Do they have pictures of themselves? Do they show up for meetings with a camera? Does their portfolio seem legitimate?

2. Experience. Have they actually done the specific job before, and are they good at it?

3. Style. Do they have experience in the specific style I need?

4. Professionalism. Do they respond without spamming me? Do they show up prepared and bring questions?

5. Communication. They do not need phenomenal English, but I need to understand them well enough to work together.

6. Excitement. Do they actually like adult animation?

The last one is not always a deal breaker.

But genuine excitement is a very good sign.

The Talented Animator I Almost Hired

When I was looking for my very first animator for my series Nappyville, I interviewed a lot of people.

One guy was really, really talented.

But he showed up for the interview with no camera.

He took a bathroom break in the middle of it that lasted 15 minutes.

And I am not joking about this.

He also shared his screen to show me something he had made. But he forgot to turn the screen share off afterward.

While I was explaining the job, I could see that he was doing something completely different.

He was not listening.

After the interview, I still seriously considered hiring him because he was so skilled at animation.

I asked a successful entrepreneur I know for hiring advice. He pointed out that this was the first impression the animator had chosen to give me.

If he showed up unprepared and did not listen during the first interview, there was a good chance he would behave the same way the next time.

And the time after that.

And for the duration of the project.

People tend to try hard to make a good first impression.

If the first impression is terrible, I now pay attention to that.

Someone can be very talented. But if I cannot trust them to deliver, what is the point?

Steps 3 to 10: I Prepare Before Anyone Applies

Step 3 is making a list of the platforms where I want to post the job and the people in my network I want to contact directly.

Step 4 is preparing a job post template and a message template for direct outreach.

Step 5 is preparing a few screening questions for when people start applying so I can quickly filter through the ones that obviously aren’t a fit.

Step 6 is preparing an automatic response for when people apply.

Mine includes information about the project, details about the job, and the screening questions. When dozens of people apply, I can copy and paste the same message and filter out people who are not a fit.

Step 7 is preparing the interview questions.

Step 8 is preparing a test.

For a voice actor, that could be an audition using lines from the script. For a background designer, I might provide a sketch and ask for a background based on it. For an animator, it could be a five second test animation.

Step 9 is preparing the terms and expectations. I write down what I expect from them, what they can expect from me, what they can put in their portfolio, and what they cannot do with the animation.

Step 10 is preparing the onboarding process.

Steps 11 to 17: I Run the Hiring Process

The first ten steps are preparation.

Step 11 is when I actually post the job posts and contact people in my network.

Post the posts.

Email the emails.

Step 12 is doing the screenings and interviews. I send the prepared response, review the answers and portfolio, and interview the people who seem like the strongest candidates.

Step 13 is running the tests.

The order can change depending on the role. A voice actor will usually audition before the interview. With an animator, I will usually interview first and then ask for a five second test animation.

Step 14 is choosing the final candidate.

I have a second call with that person to discuss the final details and expectations.

Step 15 is sending the terms and conditions or potential contract.

Step 16 is onboarding.

I try to give the person a smooth start. They know what to do. They know their deadlines.

Step 17 is getting to work.

Do the actual work.

I actually made an entire YouTube video about this.

You can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o97qXEpEOFE&t=1401s

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