Why Startups Need To Change Their Hiring Game- Things to Know

The right team can make or break your startup. And if yours is still at an early stage the process can be extremely demanding. Most Co-founders, at this juncture, outsource their hiring to an external agency and that’s where they commit their biggest mistake.

My reasons here are simple. Hiring for a startup is unlike hiring for corporate or well- established businesses. Unfortunately, that’s the expertise that a hiring agency carries. In most scenarios, it is observed that since they lack the knack to pick the right candidate they end up glorifying the role to fill up the spots while assisting startups.

The expectation that startups have from their employees is way different from other set-ups. In the absence of a clear understanding of expectation and miscommunication from agencies, most employees tend to attrite way early than expected.

At AppVirality, we’ve always handled hiring internally, which gives us an edge and needless to say this experience has made us learn a lot.

Here’s a quick list of tips that will help you avoid any mistakes and make the most out of your hiring efforts.

Understand Aspirations

Informal work culture and flexibility attracts a lot of people. That’s one of the reasons, why working for a startup has become a trend of sorts. However, that shouldn’t be the reason that an applicant should get that coveted position at your startup.

While a resume will help you understand the necessary qualifications of an applicant, it is a face to face dialogue that will help in deep diving in their mindset and aspirations. Asking intriguing questions will pave the way to filter the ones that are looking at a long term association versus the ones that may treat your profile for a stop gap.

Give A Project To Solve

In my opinion, most startups settle at just a primary screening of an applicant. Given that your employees may not get a helping hand at each level (especially the first few hires) it is significant that you are able to judge their ‘self-starter’ abilities. The best way is to involve them in a project and evaluate their ideas and methods. It will also help you peep in their decision-making abilities, strategic thinking as well their ability to adapt with your current team.

Set The Right Expectations

The truth about startups is the constant evolution of the business in terms of their goals, products, and other similar pivots. For a lot of applicants, this may throw them off guard. It is, therefore, eminent that the prospective employers understand such challenges and how it may impact their role from the beginning. An ideal candidate in such a scenario would be prepared and thus be able to contribute better to your startup’s growth.

Remember Their Worth

Money is important, not just for you, but also for your prospective employee. Cutting corners while paying them will become a major hurdle sooner than you expect. A well- paying startup often tends to retain their employees better than the ones that aren’t paying their employees well.

A few Founders I’ve met often confuse the value of ‘real money’ and try to balance it with the perks of the profile. They are of the opinion that free meals and paid vacations can be used as a way to negotiate salary terms. In my opinion, the two shouldn’t be mixed. Remember that bills can’t be paid with perks!

Leverage Referrals

There’s a sound reason, why bigger brands rely on referrals as a means to hire new employees. It is an indicator of a healthy workplace as well as employee satisfaction. Employees that are hired as a result of referrals (either suggested by existing employees or as a result of your networking efforts) often tend to bring in a greater sense of collaboration, especially in a fast moving startup.

Make Them Feel Valued

Even when you’ve hired continue to sell your startup to your employee. This will help you with grooming partners and not just employees.

Given the small team size in startups, a typical employer-employee relationship and mindset may backfire. If you really need a winning team, you need to be able to let go of an authoritarian outlook. Trust and ability to work freely helps employees to feel more connected with their job and in turn with your startup.

It would be foolish to say that all the points mentioned above will attract the best people in your kitty or make them stay with you forever. Frankly, you can’t control their career moves. However, taking the above route will ensure that they will not hesitate to contribute effectively till the time they are a part of your startup!