In order to ensure your startup’s long-term success, you need to choose your team carefully. There are no guaranteed paths to startup hiring success; each company will face different challenges and opportunities as they build out their team, but it’s possible to find the right people and make them feel invested in your project. The best way to do this is by following these steps to building a badass team.
Step 1: Reach Out
Talk with potential teammates over coffee. Talk about who you are, what you’re looking for, and why you’re excited to get started. You should all be on board with each other, share common visions and values, and respect one another as human beings first. Every great team starts out as a group of individuals who bond over their shared vision.
Step 2: Finding the Right Fit
When searching for new team members, it is imperative that you target those people who will best complement your company’s culture and values. To do so, you need to be sure that their skill sets match those required for their position and be open to hiring someone based on who they are as a person, not just what they can bring to your organization. Trust in your instinct—you know what kind of team member would fit into your organization; if you don’t, no one else does either.
Step 3: Recruiting Your First Member
Think you have what it takes to be an entrepreneur? Maybe you’re just tired of your current 9-to-5 and want to try something new. Either way, finding a cofounder is one of the most challenging yet crucial aspects of starting your own business.
Step 4: Recruiting Subsequent Members
Just because you’ve found your first employees, don’t think that all of your recruiting is done. As time goes on, members will leave for personal reasons or to pursue other opportunities; hiring managers will be promoted and responsibilities will change, requiring new hires; and new hires may be needed from time to time as business goals are shifted.
Step 5: Creating the Interview Process
During most interviews, recruiters will be speaking with people who are qualified and have experience in your field. Recruiters will have goals they want their candidates to meet, such as language or product fluency or past work experience. You’ll want your candidate recruitment process to go smoothly by creating one or more interview processes that will help you get information on specific qualities of your candidates.
Step 6: Refining the Interview Process
No matter how advanced or efficient your hiring process is, you can always find ways to make it better. In order to achieve best results and establish top recruiters in your organization, take time out every quarter for a quick review of what went well and what can be improved upon. The goal is always consistent—finding and hiring great people, making them an integral part of your team, and providing them with all tools necessary for success within your organization. Here are a few tips on how to create an effective hiring process
Section 7: Managing the Overall Interview Process
Recruiting, Interviewing, and Selecting Top Talent: Hiring is by far one of your biggest expenses. You are not just choosing who will become part of your team for months or years to come, but you are also making an investment in their career development.
