Startup Recruitment – The Right Way to Find Talent

Hiring is an uncharted territory for startups, and many companies end up making fatal errors that eventually hurt them in the long run. For young startups, hiring the right talent can mean the difference between survival and going bust. The first few employees you hire will eventually impact your work culture and ultimately define your company. In fact, if you feel that hiring is even more difficult than raising money, finding partners, or making sales; you have got good company! Don’t be disheartened though; startup recruiting is no rocket science, and you can use the following tried-and-tested techniques to get the right talent on board.

Build A Magnet

You need to turn your startup into a magnet that attracts top talent towards itself. To achieve this, you need to create buzz and hype around your startup. Figure out where your prospective employees spend their time and build a presence there. You need to communicate the value, future, and culture of your organization at various events, local media, and on social media. This will ensure that job seekers reach out to you, increasing your chances of getting good talent. It is important that you do not get caught up in the ‘hype’ yourself, and do not match it with substance. Hollow praise is not the final goal; creating solid groundwork definitely is.

Remote Staff

While the concept of ‘work from home’ is making strong inroads in India, people are still not completely sold on the idea of remote employees. Hiring remote staff opens up a vast pool of talent that may not be present in your immediate vicinity. Offering remote working options attracts top-tier talent at no added cost. For a prospective candidate, the availability of remote working options could be a deciding factor as it offers flexibility and saves them from the hassles of relocation. However, if you feel that using only a remote working model may not be entirely feasible for your startup, you can always divide remote and office working for certain days of the week.

Look Beyond Resumes

As a startup, you may be looking for experienced candidates to bring in more stability or to complement your existing skills. However, do not judge solely on the basis of a resume. Emphasize on practical skill testing than merely discussing what the candidate is capable of doing. If time is a constraint, you can even email the assignments to all the candidates. This will ensure that only serious people who are willing to put in the efforts move to the next round.  You can also look at any hobby projects such as website, logos, or apps that may have been developed by the candidate.

Offer Real benefits

Well, this is something most startups already do, and there is no reason why you should not. You can offer employee equity (partial ownership) which will align the employee’s interest with that of the organization. This is an excellent methodology to compensate for low salaries. It is understandable if as an emerging startup you are unable to offer huge cafeteria space, gyms, or swimming pool facilities to your employees. Instead, you can make it a point to throw in occasional lunches, team parties, etc. that will boost the morale of the employees and inculcate a positive work culture.

Leverage Networking Events

Just like you attended networking events to find potential partners or investors, it is essential to do the same while hiring your next employees. You need to keep your pitch ready and be able to communicate it across to any potential candidate who you may see fit for your organization. Remember, you will be competing with tech giants that have deep pockets and some insane technology. As a startup, your chances bank on the dream and vision that you are able to put across. We have already seen that new employees can impact the future of the startup. So, it is essential that you remain extremely careful in hiring your next employees. Stick to the plan and use these steps to find the right talent for your organization.

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