Hiring new employees is one of the hardest things for a startup. With all the hype around working for bigger and fast-growing companies, most employees ignore startups. Very few talented people would actually be interested in working for a new business. However, if you own a startup, getting talent is very important. Any talented employee you hire will become part of your team and will help you take your business one step further. So, although it is hard, you simply cannot settle for anything less than great talent.
So, how do you, as a startup face this competition for talent among other giants in your field? The following tips will tell you exactly how. The next time you decide to hire someone new, stick to these tips and you’ll have talented people working for your business in no time.
Tip #1 – Know what you want
This is the most important step to follow before you decide to hire an employee. Take some time and define what exactly you want from the new employee. What kind of job role would he/she have and what personality traits do you expect them to have? What is the salary you are going to pay? Define these few factors before you go on to make a job advertisement. When you make the advertisement, refer to the things you have noted and include them. That way, you will be getting the right employee for your exact requirement.
Tip #2 – Prepare your interview questions beforehand
Make sure to prepare the questions you want to ask from the candidates beforehand. This will help you ensure that you are not forgetting any important questions. And, appearing prepared will also make you seem like a professional even if you’ve never done interviews before.
Tip #3 – Ask candidates to demonstrate their skills
Asking questions is a great way to get to know a candidate. However, the chances are that the candidates came for the interview prepared. So, if you want to check if the candidate has the necessary talent to join your team, simply ask them to demonstrate their skills. This demonstration should not be necessarily hard. For example, if you are hiring a person for a marketing position, ask them to prepare a presentation on how they plan to market your products/services. You can give them some time for this and ask them to present it on the day of the interview. While the task is simple, this is a great chance for you to identify the potential in a candidate.
Tip #4 – Look for potential rather than past experience
A candidate won’t be the best person for the job just because they have past experience working in a renowned company. While experience does matter, you should pay more attention to how much potential a candidate has. Is the candidate open to learning further, does he/she have the right amount of passion and drive to work with your startup? These are all factors you should consider when hiring.
Tip #5 – Give benefits
The thing about startups is that they are not stable. There is always the risk of losing business. And, most people looking for jobs know this. So, they would of course want to work for a well-known company rather than for your business. To attract great talent, you may want to offer attractive benefits to employees. This offer may be stock options, flexible working hours, a gym membership, or even allowing employees to bring their pets to work. When the benefits are attractive, talented people may become interested in working in your startup. Plus, it would motivate them to keep going.
Tip #6 – Introduce a referral program
Already have great employees? Then, rather than trying to hire through job postings, you could introduce a referral program. The employees working for your business are aware of the company culture. More importantly, they know exactly what you are looking for in an employee. So, they’ll most likely bring in a talented candidate who can add value to your business.
Tip #7 – Offer internships
Internships are another great way to get the best people for your startup. You can start offering internships by partnering with local universities and other such institutes. Organize workshops, events, and so on to make students aware of your business. If you make it sound attractive, students will be more than happy to work with you. And, you’ll also be doing a good thing by giving them an opportunity!
Tip #8 – Use social media to attract employees
Talented people are usually already hired. So, it is safe to assume that they won’t be looking at recruitment advertisements. That is why you need to up your game by appearing where potential employees are, that is, social media. Use these platforms to provide insight about your employees, company culture, and other such things to outsiders. This is the best way to convince people about how awesome it is to work with you. And, when you want to hire someone, post your vacancies on social media as well.
Tip #9 – Learn about recruitment marketing
Recruitment marketing is like marketing. But, instead of selling a product or a brand name, this is about making talented people interested in working with you. Recruitment marketing involves social media, advertising on niche job boards, organizing networking events, workshops, and so on. Learning more about recruitment marketing and implementing those methods will help you attract talent like never before.
Tip #10 – Hire diverse people
It is very tempting to hire people who are like-minded when doing job interviews. However, when you are looking for employees, try to hire diverse people. When your employees come from different backgrounds, they naturally have different perspectives. These perspectives can become invaluable when trying to find solutions for everyday problems you face as a startup.
Conclusion
You are finally ready to hire someone for your startup. This means that you are actually moving forward to becoming bigger and better. However, finding the best people will not be simple. Hopefully, these 10 tips will make the process a little bit easier for you. Don’t forget that the people you hire can make or break your startup. So, when you hire a person, consider if that candidate would bring the value you need for your business.