“If we weren’t still hiring great people and pushing ahead at full speed, it would be easy to fall behind and become a mediocre company.” Bill Gates
Hiring has been and continues to be one of the most important decisions startup founders have to make. The process takes time and resources to complete, hence the need to make it right the first time. It’s even more crucial when you are hiring for the first time for your new startup. The first new employees of any business shape its culture, vision and drive the business to success or failure. Hiring only the smartest is your only option. Your startup has the potential to become one of tomorrow’s greatest companies, make it right from the beginning and you will be on your way to the top.
Building a startup is incredibly challenging for new founders, even an already established business needs to get it right when hiring successors for vacant positions. Sometimes it’s alright to consider HR Advice from professionals like ClearSky-HR.co.uk who could guide you to recruiting the best and smartest. It is important to have an initial recruitment plan ready before you go looking for someone else to execute it. A professional can take your plan to the next level, but very few good recruiters will want to work with someone who doesn’t now what he/she wants.
Don’t make the mistake of hiring too soon. New startup founders can comfortably wear different role hats when the need arises. If it’s a problem that you don’t think someone on your founding team can solve, you can first consider outsourcing it to get it done as soon as possible without wasting time on writing a job description, posting it out there for the lengthy process of examining resumes.
If and when you have to hire, consider your current team’s personal networks. New smart employees you already know can comfortably integrate and adopt your company culture faster than total strangers. And you already know what they are good at and how they work. Hire someone who is intellectually curious and passionate about what they do. You can also consider hiring someone who wants to start his or her company in the near future. Employees with entrepreneurial skills and qualities are a plus.
One of the best ways to find smart employees is to go on Linkedin or Twitter and search for people or connections who are doing great startup work already. Seek out recommendations from them and advertise your job need on the right forums and startup job sites. You may have to cast a wide net– it might be time consuming, but it will be worth it in the end.
Startups strive to maintain a creative enviroment at all times, and employees must be equally creative at solving problems. Startup founders are expected to perform under pressure, iterate often, and fail fast or succeed and move on. Speed is essential and you are racing against time with little or no resources when you are bootstrapping. Every new hire needs to fit in without struggle.