Ongoing Process
The first point to make clear is that unless you have a mammoth budget, it is highly unlikely that you will be able to hire an entire team all at once. Identify the areas that are most vital to your growth as a business, and concentrate on these first. It may well be that you save money in other areas by outsourcing certain tasks. Assemble your team piece by piece, filling in the gaps over time.
Shared Values
The people who join your business at the very start are literally joining you on the ground floor. This means that you will want them to share your values. Whether this is ambition, innovation or even the desire to make the world a better place, if you and your team share the same motivation and goals, you are much more likely to want to move in the same direction. Not only this, they are more likely to be loyal to your organization and stay with you for a longer period of time.
Offer Incentives (Other than Financial Ones)
While a decent salary package is all well and good, increasingly people are being motivated to take jobs by incentives other than money. Many people are looking for flexibility with their working hours and the option to work remotely.
If you are starting a tech business or other type of company that allows for this type of working practice, you can be rewarded by the most talented people wanting to work for you. Another way of attracting top employees is by offering training programs and showing that you are committed to developing your staff to reach their highest level.
Balance Skillsets
Whatever type of business you are looking to set up, you need to make sure that you have a good mix of skills so you have all bases covered. This means that as well as technical wizardry, you may also need people who are good with clients.
You may also need financial specialists to handle the accounts, and marketing gurus to get your business name out there. Ultimately, if you have a mix of skills, people are more likely to be able to learn things from one another. If everyone thinks in a similar way, you’ll never be able to gain new perspectives to help develop your business.
Interview Thoroughly
The last thing you want to do in an interview is to ask very generic questions which give you no information about the person you are hiring. If you ask textbook questions, you are likely to get answers which are very well-rehearsed and you will end up coming away from the process frustrated.
Try to put people at ease from the start so you get a fuller picture of who they really are. Assess their creative thinking and problem-solving techniques. If you have already hired others, think about how well they are likely to fit in as part of the bigger team. It may be that you give them tasks to complete that give you a clearer picture of their abilities.
Try to get the opinion of a second person who is impartial and likely to give you honest feedback. It may be the case that you want to outsource this task to an experienced firm such as Ellis Whittam. If you get it right first time, you won’t have to go through the time-consuming and costly process of having to rehire other people.
Full Time or Contract
If you are just getting started, you may not have huge amounts of capital to invest in hiring people on a full-time basis, meaning you may want to get someone in as a contractor or freelancer.
If you opt for hiring a freelancer, you can check out hiring platforms like Dormzi.com to browse and sort through a plethora of different service offerings from student entrepreneurs.
Over time, you may find that they have become so valuable to your organization that you would like to take them on on a more permanent basis. However, remember that this may not always be possible depending on their own situation. It may be the case that you ‘mix and match’, taking on some full-time people and some contractors depending on your budget.
Build For the Future
The hiring process is just the beginning. You need to make sure you have an ongoing commitment to building a stronger team. This will be largely down to you as a leader. Make sure you communicate your goals clearly so that everyone is working in the same direction.
If you notice any conflict growing amongst your team, make sure you deal with it head on rather than avoiding the issue. As a startup team is usually so small, it is likely that your employees will quickly become your friends. Make sure to foster these relationships and you could well end up with a team who will stay with your organization for a long time.
In conclusion, hopefully, these ideas have given you a clearer idea of the challenges of assembling your very own dream team. Ultimately, if you take the time to get the process right, you are more likely to be rewarded with a team who share your vision and can help build your startup into a brilliant business.
