Hiring Tips to Grow Your Startup
When you first start to see your startup seriously grow, you may start thinking about hiring. Growing your team is important, as with more hands on deck, you’ll be able to accomplish more, hitting those targets you never even dreamed of, and allowing your company to see unbelievable innovation.
The only question is: how exactly do you go about growing your startup? With so many lousy applicants out there, it’s definitely possible to hit some pitfalls. However, with a few tips, tricks, and bits of advice, you’ll be informed enough to make the hiring decisions that will allow your startup to rocket to the stratosphere. Let’s take a look at a few of the easiest startup hiring hacks around.
Use Background Checks
Background checks are one of the most surefire ways to ensure that you are hiring a quality applicant who says who they say they are. All too often, an applicant may claim experience they simply do not have, or report having done well at a previous position from which they were actually fired. You don’t want to fall prey to a scammer, wrongdoer, ne’er-do-well, or rapscallion.
Instead, use a background check or DBS to separate the wheat from the chaff. How long does a background check take? It varies by company, but some can take as little as 24 hours, and others may take as long as a couple weeks. Typically, the more thorough the check, the longer you’ll have to wait for results.
Recruit Talent Through Connections
One of the most important ways that you’ll be able to find solid applicants for your positions is by way of important connections. Maybe one of your existing employees has an old college buddy they know would be an awesome fit for your data analytics position. Or maybe a friend of yours has a bright and nimble-minded son who would rule doing some sweet marketing stuff.
Either way, finding people through connections allows you to grow your team while drawing from people who have been pre-vetted. That’s hugely important, as all too often someone isn’t nearly as good in person as they are on paper. It’s important to give all applicants a fair shake, but rest assured that for some of your more important positions, hiring through connections is a safe bet.
Hold In-Office Interviews
Having in-office interviews is key to hiring. After all, you want to meet a person, shake their hand, and get a sense of who they really are. Without such an in-person connection, how can you really be sure that they’re the right fit for your company?
In-office interviews can consist of a few different parts, or stages. Here are the steps the most successful offices take when hosting an in-person interview.
- First, sit them down with the team manager so they can question the applicant about their past, their future desires, and why they think your company is a good fit.
- Next, have the rest of the team come in and meet them. Remember, at a small startup, you need strong camaraderie among your workforce, so a good fit for your culture is key.
- Then, have them complete an assessment, like a coding puzzle, writing assignment, or plan or policy analysis.
You can learn a lot from a process such as the one just listed!
Consider Remote Workers
If the talent pool in your area is looking a little sparse, why not consider hiring on remote workers? Oftentimes, much of the work that goes on in startups – coding, data analysis, content writing, and graphic design – can be done from remote positions with little to no hassle.
Expand your applicant pool by considering remote workers for some of your more easily outsources positions!
Freelance What You Can’t Handle
Too much on your plate, and not enough budget room to hire someone new? Why not simply freelance portions of your workload? With awesome freelancing websites out there that connect talented freelance workers with organizations in need of assistance, you’re sure to find the match you need in no time.
This also buys you time for cheap, so you can save up for a permanent in-office employee – a win-win!
Growing your team is scary, but if you plan right, along with hr onboarding software, it can be done well.
