15 tips for Hiring the best Startup Team for success

“It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and then tell them what to do. At Apple, we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do. They need to know that you are counting on their creativity and will appreciate it.” – Steve Jobs

Hiring Topics: Job Description, Network, Long-Term, Compatible, Simplify, Feedback, Mission, Sell Co, Use “C’s”, Decide, “best Time”, Compensation Package.

Is your startup thinking of growing? Are you looking at Hiring a few good new employees? What talent do you need to fill in the gaps or grow your Team to handle the work-load? Whatever the case may be, an Entrepreneur & Recruiting expert offers some tips to help you find — and hire — the best talent for your Startup:

Start with a clear Job Description. Be 100 % clear on exactly what you need — and what you do not need — in a new hire. Develop a realistic timeline and cost associated with finding & hiring this person. Expect to compensate them at or above standard value – so they see you value them – which will motivate them.
Use your Network to find good Candidates. Tell them what you’re looking for and they can often recommend someone.
View Hiring as a Long-Term Investment. Most startups view Hiring as JiT (just-in-time) measures. They’re not. Finding good people is only a small part of the recruiting game. From the very beginning, evaluate their Resume to meet your needs and beyond. When you contact them for the Interview, you need to get feedback on their personalities. After the Interview, have the Interview Team share their feedback, but you as Founder and/or CEO make the final Decision. Then when they start go into more detail on your product/s & strategy, so they will be more motivated to do a great job.
Interview & Hire with compatible Personalities to your current Team. After educational & experience, the best Hiring is a largely a matter of harmony & integrity. You want to hire people who are reliable, trustworthy & effective — people who will grow with your company. Pass on “ninjas,” “rockstars,” “divas,” and coding “celebrities.” Their value is out-weighed by performance (or lack thereof) and the fact that they will require excessive management.
Follow a Simple Process. Don’t fall into the practice of “everyone has to interview each candidate (and fall in love with them)”. Use a small Interview team of staff – relevant to there position. All interviews should total no more than 4 hours. Mentally, you should have already made your decisions after the first interview, but maybe a second round is needed, then make a decision. If you don’t feel good about your decision, maybe it’s time to start over.
Give & get Feedback to/from Interview Team. Require your Interview team to commit to a Yay or Nay on every candidate — in addition to writing down their feedback. Writing things down seems like a pain, but it’s the best way to clarify how you think and share it. If a hire doesn’t work out, or you need to hire for a similar role in the future, you can review your interview feedback records and make adjustments accordingly.
Align with your Mission. “Why” you created your company is more important than “what” you are doing at the moment. It’s only one step along the path to your long-term Vision. In recruiting & hiring, your Mission & Vision separates you from the competition. Use that to your advantage, in attracting outstanding talent.
Sell your Company — and their Role — to your Candidates. Share & sell the Mission & long-termVision of your company.

Sell Equity — especially with your first new Hires. They’re like partners.

Sell potential of Personal Growth for each the new hire, then align this growth with their goals.

Un-Sell Candidates on joining your company, if their motivation is all based on compensation and not Mission or Vision.

Use the Prison Test. Hire people with whom you can get along in a Lab, Trip, Conference room for 4-8 hours. Their personality is compatible to your companies culture.
Use your key “C’s”. Use your relevant Executives (COO, CMO, CTO, etc) to sell key hires to your company. They are some of your best Sales people in their area. They know what they need and go after it. As the Founder or CEO, you should probably trust in their recommendations.
Make a Decision (if possible). Decisiveness is the key in hiring. As the leader (CEO or Founder), it’s your job to make the final decision. Don’t create another meeting – unless you absolutely have to. Review the outcome of the interview with the Interview Team and make a decision to hire or not.
Don’t Hire for no good reason. Only hire because you cannot physically complete the work without another person.
When is the “best time” to Recruit? All the time. When you are always recruiting, you escape cost and pain by having relationships in place ahead of your needs.
When is the “best time” to Hire? When you’ve found the right candidate — even if that’s a month or a few before you need them. It takes time to ramp up a new hire. They might find things that need to be done that you didn’t have specified or prioritized. They’ll feel good about their contribution and you (as leader) will too !!!
Be Generous with your Compensation Package. No one wants to be or feel taken advantage of. You’re going to expect a lot from the people you hire. Reward them accordingly and that will motivate them – which will greatly benefit your company.

Comments: Do you have any other Tips on Hiring for your Startup Team?

from a Tech Recruiter 01/18 enhanced by Peter/CXO Wiz4.biz

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