10 top Hiring Tips for growing your Startup

“I am convinced that nothing we do is more important than hiring and developing good people. For the bottom line, of the 3Ps, people are more important than products or promoting.”

Hiring Topics: Mission & Vision, Culture, Advantage, Special, Perks.

Smart Hiring is one of the most important factors in growing your Startup into a successful business. In a panel discussion by four Startups, the group addressed everything from diversity & defining culture, to optimizing the Team Building process – to find key members for your Team. Below is a list of the top 10 Hiring Tips the panelists gave for growing your early-stage startup with top talent.

Typical Hiring Process. a) phone screen, b) interview, b) a team meet-&-greet & c) skill test (this can be a challenge). If they can share stories during the Interview to illustrate their talents, that will be adequate.

1. Sell them on company’s Mission & Vision. “The experience you create when candidates come in and meet with others is very important,” If your current management or Team-mates lack passion about what the company does, it doesn’t leave a good impression on candidates.

2. Define your Culture. A lot of startups like to describe their culture in broad terms, such as “transparent”, “hard-working” or “open.” Share examples to candidates to clarify what those terms mean. An example of transparency, she explains, could be a startup’s daily 9 a.m. Standup Meeting, where everyone in the company discusses the company’s priorities.

3. Share your Competitive Advantage. When trying to attract a candidate, startups can compete on four points: 1) the Leader or fastest growing in your market, 2) your talented & dynamic Team that are fun to work with, 3) the great potential of your products, & 4) what your company has to offer that other workplaces don’t, whether it’s salary, equity, benefits, location, more vacation days, game room or catered lunches on Fridays.

4. Make Candidates feel “special”. Candidates want to feel like they’re wanted and that they’re joining a team that will value their work, so they can make a significant contribution. Before you’re ready to extend an offer, have as many meetings with the candidate as possible: 1) Take candidates out to dinner with their partner or spouse. This way you can get to know them on an informal basis and get a better idea of their personality – to determine if it will fit into your company culture. 2) Founders could also have their potential manager reach out to introduce themselves and be a sounding board for questions. 3) Managers could even have a Lunch with them – to get to know them better. Never let an offer go un-answered for weeks – without reaching out again. Be pre-active. Go after the good Candidates.

5. Possible Perks to tempt them with

Don’t work Fridays. Have a 4day x 10hr schedule, then Employs will have a Free Friday to do errands, take a long weekend, etc.
Give a day off on Birthdays. (or the day either side of it), so they can celebrate outside of work. It’s just another way that shows them you encourage them to enjoy life outside of work.
Celebrate Anniversaries with the company. People often spend more time at work and with their colleagues than they do with their own families. It’s easy to recognise the anniversaries of the date they started with you – either with a gift (that gets better as the years go by), and / or with day in lieu that they can take any time in the month of their anniversary every year.
Have Fresh Fruit & Snacky Veggies always available. Startup teams work hard, with many long hours. You want them healthy and productive.
Pay for their Gym memberships. Nothing beats having a fit and healthy team. Offer an incentive where you will cover individual gym memberships (up to a certain dollar amount) for all employees once they have passed their probation.

6. Fast-Track your Candidate Shortlist:

Hire for Cultural Fit over Competence.
Test your Candidates. Give your Candidates a small problem to solve.
Evaluate the Connections of Candidates. Check them out on the Web (ie, LinkedIN)
Personally Call their References. If important to make a Decision, call their other Connections.
Setup a one-day Trial. Invite few of the top candidates in for a full working day (on different days, obviously). Include them in product discussions, sessions with their team, and general day-to-day operations. After working with 2-3 candidates for a full day, you’ll be surprised how clear a cultural fit (or misfit) becomes.

7. Track Job Candidate communications, whether it’s a Google Docs, Spread-sheet, a more sophisticated tool like Greenhouse or Lever, or a Project Management tool your management may already use – such as Trello or JIRA.

8. Retaining good Employees.

A. Have basic Employee Programs (for Team Building) The top three basic programs for any startup should include:

An employee Referral program: If your employees are happy, they’ll refer others
An On-Boarding program to orient them to your company, their job & the company’s core values

B. Performance Feedback process (usually at 90 days) Even if it’s just a basic briefing, good employees want feedback to help them adjust better.

C. Get them a Mentor to emphasize the importance of their development by introducing teammates to more senior mentors & advisors in their field of practice. This will help the business while helping individuals grow their knowledge, networks & talents.

D. Have your Employees share their Goals. Employees will begin looking for other opportunities, when they feel their work & growth isn’t important or valued.

10. Review your Hiring Strategy to look for ways to improve it. (annually is most common).

Overall, having a structured hiring process, involving your entire team and utilizing your full network make great hires possible.

Comments: Do know any other important matters to cover on hiring?

from Rocket Space 30 Feb 17 enhanced by Peter/CXO Wiz4.biz

For more Info, click on Hiring, Team Building.