Hiring is difficult, and hiring for a startup can be even more difficult. As a young company, you have limited funds and you probably need someone who will not only be an employee of the company but who will also work for the same purpose as you. That is to say by laying the right foundations to avoid any disaster that could occur. In the initial days, you will not have a big paycheck to offer to your employees and so you will need to convince them with your vision and your ways to achieve this great mission. You need to not only show them the goal but also discuss the long-term plans of this company. Steve Jobs, when starting his company ‘Apple’ asked John Scully if he would like to change the world or he is fine with selling sugar-water all his life. That was enough convincing for John Scully. Let us discuss some of the key factors to consider when hiring employees for your startup.
4 key factors to consider while hiring
1. Hire your fans
This does not mean that you hire people who are all about praises for you but people who will consider your dream theirs and will work for it. One gets the best word-of-mouth marketing with these employees because they won’t shut up about you and your company. They are proud to join you and your venture and they are quite vocal about it. Smart is good, but it is not everything. These fans might not be the smartest person in the room but they are equally important to your startup.
2. Consider hiring remote employees
The pandemic has not only shown us but also proved to us that working from home can be equally productive if not more. When starting your company and hiring for it you can always consider remote employees or freelancers. This does not only give you an opportunity to hire the best from your location but the whole world. However, having said that there are always situations when present in the office is a requirement and one needs to make arrangements such as a hybrid structure of working if cases like these occur.
3. Get potential employees with previous startup experience
Startups need employees that do not need to be spoon-fed with information or need constant guidance. Consider hiring someone with previous startup experience who will be able to deal with the transition and will also be able to think for the company’s future.
Diving deep into this let us discuss what this means, when you hire an employee for your startup who has been working as a corporate employee for a long time you need to understand that they have been working at a constant pace and have developed this way of working. While fresh faces or startup experience employees will adjust with the pace that is thrown at their way as per the company’s requirement.
4. Build a brand from ‘Day One’
Understand why people today want to work for startups when they can get a laid-back job at some established corporate. They want to join a startup for the quality of work and not the quantity and having said that it does not mean less amount of work but efficient work. They want flexibility in the working hours. They are looking for an agile environment to work for and your company needs to stand tall in these areas for the best hires to be made. Offer the best and get the best offered.
To make the best hire, you need to be the best platform to be hired for. Know what you are offering and think about the cost/benefit. Hiring a new candidate will add value to your company and this needs to come at a timeframe that is tangible to the company. If you are looking for the zeal and determination in an employee remember to give them the space to show these qualities to you. Hiring the best is not the end product, keeping them and making the company flourish with them is the real goal.
