A startup needs a team that understands its vision. A group of professionals that complete work as if it is their business. As a result, it sets the culture of progress with an expectation of success.
Whether you are responsible for hiring, use a third-party recruitment agency or a human resources department. The decision to hire freelancers to build a startup team for on-call work or in-house staff depends on business needs.
The next time you set a meeting with its founders, these indicators will provide answers.
Employment blueprint
Think about the mission statement and long-term goals. A new startup in the beginning stages may need a graphic designer and copywriter. A list of indicators it is time to depend on freelancers is below:
- The scope of work: Rebranding of content materials, website appearance or all marketing content
- Office space: Do you have a small office? The concept of having a team of several departments can be achieved with a work from home work structure.
- Budgeting: A Huff Post article stated “the costs of hiring a new employee can be 213% of annual salary.”
Once you know the scope of work needed whether it is in graphic designing, writing, or administrative support, making the right choice will be easier.
What to notice in an interview
An employer that pays attention to a freelancer in a meeting or an employee in a job interview can discern the right professional. For example, a common interview question is “Why should we hire you?” The answer to this question will tell if the person conducted research and has a vested interest in your startup. Here is a list of answers that show it is the ideal candidate:
- The answer reflects that you understand the work culture of the company. The candidate will fit in with the team and make the hiring manager’s life easier from day one.
- The answer reflects the candidate knows what the position requires. Plus, it proves the individual is the right person to do the work based on past achievements.
All it takes is 30 – 60 minutes to understand the person you are interviewing. Whether it is a freelancer or an employee, in-depth interview answers reflect the dedication of a prospective professional to add to the team.
Startup business hours
A startup with a founder and a few partners with a busy schedule may not have time to nurture employees. In this scenario, freelancers with specific skill sets can reduce the time and train apart from the employee experience.
Another part to consider is hiring local freelancers or those that reside in your location. A freelancer in a different time zone can be an issue if ahead of the startups time.
The consumer behavior mindset
Whether a freelancer or employee is the final decision, the individuals need to understand consumer psychology based on your industry. The individual that is selected needs to have experience understanding the mindset of consumers in your industry to achieve high levels of success. If you hire a freelancer, this is how the person will adopt the ‘consumer’ mindset:
- Reviews customer surveys
- Scan internet for forums to discover customers
- Reads customer feedback inquiries
As a startup owner, your job is to run the business with minimal effort in teaching a team how to produce potential work customers can relate to.
What is important to your business?
Our guide focuses on how to achieve startup success to hire a freelance professional or an employee. Think about the business needs, the budget for hiring, the volume of work and what you need the ideal mindset of the person you need. Once this information is documented conduct the interview with the right questions and select the professional that can add value to the position.