10 Tips to attract Tech Talent to your Startup for building a Team to help it Succeed
“There’s nothing more important than hiring good people, then helping them get better. Hire people smarter than you, share your Vision, then get out of their way. However, a “great” Vision without great people is impossible to accomplish”
Topics: Reputation, cool Culture, Talent attracts Talent, exciting Technology, Impact, Referrals, Universities, Time
Hiring Tech Talent — SW Engineers, Coders, Marketing, Operation ++ is hard – especially when your business is new or small. But it doesn’t have to be that hard, as long as you focus on making your business a place where people want to work. Here are 10 tips for attracting (and retaining) Tech Talent, from a variety of resources.
- Develop your Reputation as an “good” Employer. a) If you have a good reputation, you might not even need to post job openings — top talent will come to you. What’s involved? It’s simple: having a reputation as a good place to work by showing appreciation to your employees rather than only asking for hard work from them. b) good Talent usually gravitates towards good companies. The more you can do to build your reputation, the more that talent will come your way naturally. Ensure you have a strong presence on LinkedIn, get integrated with your local community, host networking events, etc.”
- A “cool” Culture is key. One of the most important factors for attracting talent is cultivating an atmosphere that makes your employees happy to come to work. Look first at what you have to offer a prospective employee. Have you created a fun, engaging work environment? Do you offer challenging work? Do people see a chance for growth & upward movement in your organization? Do you have a casual/ informal office environment?
- Find little ways to Stand-Out from your Competition. a) you’re Competing for Amazing Talent against other companies – some with better-known brands and/or more resources. To stand a chance, show candidates the unique elements of your Culture that they won’t find elsewhere. b) Communicating your Culture. There are a couple of ways you can communicate what makes you special: 1) maintain a Blog with regular update posts about your team, office, company events, etc. (which will also convey your Culture to potential future employees). 2) When you make Job Postings, include a Overview about the company, what you care about, and why candidates should want to work there. Emphasize the things that set you apart (of course, remember that once you set those standards, you’ll need to actually live up to them).
- Great Talent “attracts” great Talent. a) Work culture is not ultimately defined by a Statement about your Mission on your company website. It’s defined by the culture & people that work there. Focus on finding the person most compatible with your core values & company culture rather than the strongest candidate. Evaluate potential candidates for motivation, passion, shared values & aligned motivations. b) Environment. People join us not only because we have a great culture, but also because we have amazing, world-class tech talent already here,” says Perrault. “When a prospective employee meets some of the talented folks we already have on board, they are more eager to join. Great talent attracts great talent, and it’s a virtuous cycle.”
- Promote your “outstanding” Product itself. Passion for the Product? Most people would love to work for a company that has a useful, interesting product that they can truly believe in. You start first with an amazing product and an awesome challenge. The best Tech Talent want to work on solving the hardest and most challenging problems.
- Your “exciting” Technology will attract them. a) the Latest & Greatest. When people choose to work in tech, they’re usually excited about the technology. When attracting top Tech Talent, it is important for the startup to have technology that stands out to those who will be working with it and for the company to give its employees the opportunity to grow and be a part of something BiG. b) using top Technology brings in top Talent. We use the latest technology that only top talent would know about. Using these technologies in our tech repertoire has really helped us to attract the right talent.
- Show the Candidate how they’ll make an Impact !!! a) Contribution. Startups are perfect for passion-driven employees, because they can make a much greater contribution to the company & customers than they may be able to at a larger company with more bureaucracy. In job postings and interviews, make sure to highlight how their specific role is going to make a difference. b) Impact. Show candidates that the problems they solve make a real & lasting impact on people’s lives. That really resonates with dedicated employees. c) your Vision. It’s important that future employees understand that they will be a part of the creative process – with the goal to build products that customers love.”
- Utilize current Employees for Referrals. Word of mouth is a great tool, and you’ll have the benefit of the candidate being referred by someone you already work with & trust. Do what you can to foster positive word-of-mouth about your company & team. Build a robust referral program (with incentives), that motivates your employees and will drive the referral pipeline.
- Partner with Universities. a) Freshly milled College Graduates can be a great addition to a startup, because their skills are current, most are open-minded to learn your ways & they don’t have to be re-trained or carry expectations over from their past workplaces. To get access, Set up relationships with top local universities and continue to recruit yearly from the same places, both for internships & regular employment. In this way, you build a reputation on campus. Creating this pipeline requires focused short-term investment, but you get a long-term payoff. b) Career Fairs. “One of our best tactics is to staff Career Fairs at universities – partly with graduates. Bring in some of Technical Team to give prospective Technical Talent the opportunity to ask technical questions. This gives them the chance to know people that they may ultimately end up working with. Also invite candidates to join us for a dinner at these events so we can get to know them as people and in a more relaxed environment.
- all Good Things take Time. . . adds relevance to the process – and it doesn’t happen overnight. It requires both parties taking the time to get to know each other, build a connection (if compatible) & motivate them to join your team.
Conclusion: Once you’ve made those first hires, lay the groundwork for future success by focusing on “being” a great place to work instead of just looking like one. You’ll build your employer reputation, and loyalty will follow.
Comments: Do you know any other ways to attract top Tech Talent?
from Forbes Today.com 27 June 17 enhanced by Peter/CXO Wiz4biz
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