12 Hiring Tips for Scaling Your Early-Stage Startup with Top Talent

Hiring is one of the most important things an organization does. It is also one that requires great effort and concentration. You need to do it right or your startup will fail from the onset. The following are quick guides on how to do your hiring and obtain top talent for the early stages of your startup business:

1. Track Candidate Communications

Here, you need to find a way in which you can highlight and keep a track of the communications between your business and the candidate. This can be through creating a spreadsheet or a Google Doc. You always want to have this information on the go.

2. Organization’s Mission and Strategy

Endeavor to have your team aware of and work in accordance with the organization’s mission and strategy. This will help them to acquire the right attitude and spirit, and work with enthusiasm and passion. Make a point of making this information clear to the candidates during the first meeting in order for you to leave a good impression on them.

3. Culture Definition

Don’t give a very broad culture description for example “we uphold integrity”. Try and explain what it means, for example, we don’t tolerate corruption hence we won’t tolerate an employee receiving a handout.

4. Basic Development Programs

Dealing with the basics first when it comes to employee development is essential. Don’t rush into the flashy programs as they may backfire on you. A basic development program can include having a referral system for employees where employees can be referred to do certain tasks of which they have great mastery and skill. Capacity building programs can also be instituted as a basic development program. This will enhance their skills and also boost their levels of job satisfaction and ultimately make them happy. Having a feedback process for performance is another important basic development program as employees are always eager to grow to meet specified performance standards.

5. Make Your Employees Feel Valued

It’s important for you to know your employees’ goals and make every effort to keep them on track. When employees feel that they are being taken for granted and ignored, they will seek other opportunities as they feel undervalued.

6. Keep your Employees on Track

Support the development of your employees by having them fit into teams of advisors and mentors who can help them to grow and lead the way for them as well as develop their talents.

7. Strategize on Diversity

Have a goal to have diversity in your employment activities. We have just about 36 % of startups that are doing this. In order to achieve diversity, you will need to create interests from the candidates. They should have that quality of embracing diversity from the onset. You can ask them what diversity means to them and also give your own definition and have them identify means through which they can achieve this.

8. Make your Hiring Strategy Complex

You can lay out a strategy that will ensure that you only get the best candidates in the industry. This can be by making the hiring process really long, with many requirements along the way. Ensure that they have well-written resumes, which they can do themselves or through a resume writing service.

9. Check your Market

Here, you need to understand the market under which your organization is operating. This can be in terms of competitors, products, among others. You thus need to revamp the teams within your organization to fit into the ever-changing markets, take a keen look at the products you offer and how you can develop them further. The question you will need to answer is what your organization is offering that others don’t. This may include various aspects including benefits and salary.

10. Make Candidates/Employees Feel Special

You need to make your employees feel wanted. You can do this by going out for lunch with them, offering them advice in private, introducing them to your family, among other activities. Always make them feel that they are a great part of your team.

11. Define Roles and Responsibilities

Take your time to clearly define the expected roles and responsibilities of candidates to ensure that they can deliver and they are aware of what they need to do. Check on their capabilities, qualities, and competencies.

12. Communicate your Vision

Take every chance to get to explain to the candidates the vision of the organization. This will help the candidates know how to fit into this environment and whether or not they can handle it. Your employees should know this vision by heart. This will guide them in the course of their work. It will also help you attract the goal seekers and go-getters who can be really committed to the organization.

Conclusion

In order to attract and retain the top talent in your organization, you have to continually communicate your objectives and vision as well as culture to the candidates from the onset. Create a challenging hiring process to separate the wheat from the chaff. After hiring, make an endeavor to keep your employees by staying ahead of the competition through offering competitive terms for the employees and creating a nurturing environment within the organization.