6 Things Every Start-up needs to know to Attract Top Talent

Author: Kelly Barcelos (Jobsoid)

They say ‘a company is only as good as its employees’. Every start-up founder can relate to that more than anyone else as they’ve probably seen the difference a strong, enterprising team of employees can make to a business during its initial few years.

When you are still building credibility, and finding your place in a competitive market, it is especially important to hire the right employees. But how?

The answer is simple - use our 6 recruitment hacks for start-ups and watch your company grow from 5 to 50! As added bonus, we’ve added quick pro tips and tricks to hack your way through the process.

1. Communicate Clearly

Whether you are drafting a job vacancy post or taking the actual interview, as a recruiter you must be absolutely clear about who you are looking for, skills required, the current and future expectations for the vacant position as well as the culture you are striving for.

If your messaging is clear and concise, you are sure to find what you’re looking for. This is also beneficial for the candidates as they know exactly what is expected of them and you automatically filter out irrelevant applicants.

2. Hire People who are willing to Grow

A person’s attitude towards their job is what makes all the difference.  You can find 10 employees willing to do the job, but one out of those ten will actually have the passion and dedication to excel at that job. Being able to put in the time and work hard is most definitely a desired skill, but focusing that effort in order to get the best outcome is the kind of enterprising spirit you need to go after!

3. Choose Skills over Credentials

Start-ups in particular need a lot of fresh ideas and energy to grow and flourish. By hiring younger talent, you can embrace a fresh approach which is exactly what growing start-ups need to succeed. Go after candidates with a proactive spirit and the desire to grow because experience and expertise can be gained through teaching and training as well.

4. Build an Effective Recruitment Pipeline

Hiring for start-ups a complicated affair and can consume a lot of time. So, in order to avoid any lags during the hiring process, always be on the look-out for talent. Keep a close watch on your sourcing channels, and the traction received from them. Understand which method/channel works best for your organization and streamline your recruiting processes accordingly.

Pro Tip - Leverage technology and automate your recruitment with an Applicant Tracking System for successful employee on-boarding practices. These days there are a variety of comprehensive recruitment tools that host multiple features, ranging from sourcing & tracking applicants, interview scheduling and real time reporting all in one place, with cloud reliability nonetheless!

5. The Hiring Process should reflect your Culture

Engage your client right from the get-go! Beginning from a compelling job post, right up to the final offer, your communication at all times should reflect the kind of culture and value system you strive to achieve in the organization. Prompt and transparent communication at all stages it a must. All the little details make a great impact in your potential employees mind.

Pro Tip - During the interview, you can talk about your office culture and values, the various benefits your employees offer and the general work ethic of your organization to be able to showcase the focus towards overall development as opposed to simply getting the work done.

6. Offer Real Benefits

Good talent is limited and often hard to find. It is not easy for start-ups to offer competitive salaries, unlike their established counterparts. Instead, you can compensate the pay difference with perks such as equity, company outings, flexible timings, ergonomic furniture, medical insurance and an attractive fun-at-work policy. Create a social media presence which reflects your company culture, enabling potential candidates a way to get a better sense of what working for you will be like, making them more likely to accept the offer.

Once you’ve found your candidate, make sure you maintain your company’s promise. Putting the expectations of your team first is crucial to maintaining a motivated and enthusiastic team. And a motivated team guarantees a healthy start-up.  Build a culture you and your employees will be proud of and leverage technology wherever possible!

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