Hiring is never going to be easy, but it is even more difficult if you are in charge of a start-up. You have a small team, and therefore, it is important not to waste money on the wrong employee. Your start-up must run like a well-oiled machine, and so the hiring (and retaining) the best talent is imperative.
So, what are the nine best ways to make sure you’re hiring the best talent out there for your start-up?
1. Improve Your Work-space
If your work-space is fun, interesting, and has a good community element, it will attract the right people. A better workplace culture that will have people lining up for a chance to be employed by you. The more people that want to work for you, the more people that you have to choose from when a position becomes available. Work environments where employees experience company incentives, the opportunity to learn and grow and have good relationships with their colleagues ultimately show better work ethic and more productivity. This will greatly benefit your start-up.
2. Communicate You Mission Statement
What your company stands for is the core of ‘who’ your company is. If you have (and communicate) a strong company mission with a bold statement and good intentions, that passion and enthusiasm will shine through. Make sure that when advertising for jobs that you are communicating this message and these values, as well as when you are interviewing. If you do this, then you are likely to attract like-minded people, people want to work with you to bring your vision to life. These are the employees that are more likely to perform well in a role.
3. Think About Hiring Remotely
This is especially helpful if you don’t have an office space to work in, or if it’s difficult finding the right people in your local area. If you hire remote employees, you have the whole world to pick from. It won’t cost extra, but you will have a lot more talent to choose from.
4. Offer A Challenge
The most talented people don’t want to spend all day entering data or doing paperwork and will yearn for a challenge. You can offer employees constructive criticism, which will challenge them to improve. Keep them informed of company-wide issues and allow them to offer suggestions for solutions. Give employees a little freedom (within reason) on their projects, and this will encourage them to try and be better and more impressive on their own terms.
5. Use Your Size as An Advantage
If your small business looks extremely promising and is incredibly well thought out, your start-up becomes more of a career path and less of a job. Talented employees want to grow in their career, especially if they are a little younger, for example, new graduates. Play on the fact you are a start-up and can offer employees the chance to grow with the brand and in their career.
6. Keep Your Friends Close and Your Existing Talent Closer
The phrase “great minds think alike” still applies and can be applied to talent. Talent promotes talent, and the most talented people will want to work alongside, you guessed it, the most talented people. Make sure when interviewing or speaking with potential employees that you’re using your best people to make a good impression.
7. Network, Network, Network
There is no downside to networking. By networking, you build awareness about your brand, product and service, but you can also use it to find potential employees. Things like speaking at events or universities can also sell your vision to eager and talented individuals.
8. Have an Online Presence.
A great way to share your passion and vision is to have a blog, a social media presence, and to guest post on similar sites. Doing so will build your brand well. Use useful content opportunities like this to (subtly) brag about your company and what direction you think it’s going in. Talented and interested people will then read your blog and want to apply right away.
