The Startup Hiring Guide - Build your future team
In this article, we explore the uncharted territories where bold resumes and dynamic interviews are the keys to unlocking the untapped potential needed by every struggling founder.
As a Founder - while you’re out disrupting the entire startup ecosystem with your innovative ideas, you need an equally innovative & talented team to back you up. But finding the right talent is no walk in the park, especially for startups.
The article will be in two major parts covering every aspect of the hiring process.
Raj Patel is an entrepreneur building products in the recruitment space that streamlines the recruitment activities in an organization. His startup Reczee is an end-to-end recruitment platform for organizations that helps them with activities like sourcing, screening, and processing candidate applications in a single place. Through this very first edition of Rize Guest article, Raj shares some valuable insights from a founder’s as well as a hiring agency’s perspectives.
Why should you consider hiring as a startup?
Hiring is crucial for startups because it directly impacts their ability to innovate and build on ideas. Suitable hires can provide the required skills to drive development in a highly competitive environment. They will provide fresh perspectives and embrace challenges to navigate the uncertainties of the startup ecosystem.
When should you hire as an early-stage startup?
While it's true that you often have to take on multiple roles in the early stages of your startup, it's crucial to recognize the value of your time. Deciding when to prioritize specific tasks and seek help is subjective and depends on your unique circumstances, current progress, and future aspirations. So, how do you determine the right time to delegate or seek guidance?
Many people either advise you to hire during the early days or suggest you multitask. It's all about finding that balance between managing your workload and leveraging the expertise of others.
Ideally, you should expedite your hiring process- When you find yourself doing something repeatedly
When you lack a specific skill set and have a high cliff to learn
When you want to double down in a particular direction and need more brains to execute effectively
Who are the first few people you should hire?
The roles you prioritise early in your career as a founder depend entirely on the type of product/business model or industry, growth trajectory, and resources.
The ideal composition of the initial team can vary from one startup to the next. But more or less, these are a few key positions you can keep in mind while strategizing your hiring process:
Co-founder: If you have one, it’s brilliant! Having someone sharing the same vision, sharing the workload, and complementing each other can be a real blessing during struggling times.
Core technical team: Be it software engineers, product managers, developers, or designers, hiring a core product development team is similar to putting your vast expanse of ideas into a suitable mould.
Marketing or Sales: Building the product isn’t enough; You need to improve its market presence by hiring individuals who can create brand awareness for your startup. In simpler words, you need someone who can sell what you built.
Primary administration team: For the day-to-day responsibilities of managing logistics, finances, operations, legal, and so on.
As your startup evolves, you can continue to add new names and people to this list based on your business needs and priorities.
How to set up a hiring process as a founder?
It can be quite overwhelming at first- setting up the hiring process while dealing with other business variables.
These are a few points you should consider to get a kickstart in the hiring process, whether it is through an agency or directly:
Define your hiring needs based on the roles and skills your startup requires.
Keep your communication with candidates clear, concise, and quick.
Set expectations and inclination to join the company during the introductory call. Go beyond resumes!
Avoid high-effort, mundane assignments- implement unconventional & time-friendly practices to assess skills and qualifications.
Create a screening process to evaluate candidates efficiently.
Keep your company’s “Careers page” updated on your website and social profiles during product launches, PR releases, or big feature drops. Use tools like Internshala, LinkedIn, Reczee TalentHub, Indeed, Wellfound( Formerly Angellist), etc., to identify & connect with skilled professionals.
Use these tools to organize and manage your applicants and stakeholders in a single place with an Applicant Tracking System (ATS)- Freshteam, Keka, Reczee ATS, Zoho Recruit, etc.
Leverage different modes of sourcing candidates, take minimal job board subscriptions, and hire based on authentic referrals.
Develop an onboarding process that reflects your company’s culture and work environment.
This is just the beginning! Frankly, your hiring process would hit many trials and errors as you continue growing and scaling your startup. There is always room for evaluation and improvement.
Summary: Remember, the hiring process is an ongoing journey. In the early days, you might have one or two bad hires or a handful of experienced hires. Ultimately, hiring makes or breaks your company’s growth. There is no right time or way to go about it; you just have to trust your vision and instinct and dive into the process, considering what’s best for your company. Be open-minded and unconventional- expect individuals from the most unexpected places to be the absolute best.
Still struggling to assemble your own superhero team? Stay tuned for the second part! We will cover how to identify, source, and onboard a talented candidate, along with a few surprise points.
This edition of Disruptor Diaries was written by Raj Patel.
Find out more about Raj and Reczee
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