Jobless claims may have dropped last week , but another the US economy still managed to shed another 565,000 jobs last week. There are few, if any, silver linings in the climbing unemployment statistics, but it does mean that small businesses that do have the resources to hire have a lot of choices and leverage. Mirela Iverac writes in Forbes that the trick is "figuring out which of those left behind were victims of the economy, and which deserved to go." Iverac cites advice from Barry Deutsch , CEO of Impact Hiring Solution s, who says that small businesses frequently hire what he calls "mismatches." How to avoid all those mismatches? As with most things, some smart work up front does the trick. First, specifically define the job you are looking to fill--generic titles are useless, says Deutsch--and quantify your expectations. Say you need a marketing director. You might require that she, within the first 30 days, assess the division, identify gaps and come up with a personal development plan for each team member; within 60 days, come up with a detailed list of potential product extensions; and within 120 days, execute a new product launch. The power of defining goals up front is that it serves as a road map for the interview, making it easier to predict whether a candidate has relevant experience and the chances she'll thrive in the new environment. Once you know what you're looking for, you have to let the world know you're looking for it. There's an art to Want Ads. One that lists a dry set of qualifications--five years of this skill, 10 years of that skill--won't cut it, says Deutsch. Read Hiring The Best Of The Left-Behind here .