Today, startup businesses are appearing more frequently with the aim of growing into larger companies. Of course, over this period of growth, the requirements of the company are going to change as it advances and consequently, so will the requirements of the employees. It is for this reason that it can be particularly difficult to recruit for your startup, which is only exacerbated by tight budgets. Here are some key suggestions for startups’ recruitment strategy when challenged with creating the optimal workforce.
Have a game plan
Looking to the future should always be in the back of your mind when building a business, especially in the early stages as you have to split your starting funds over multiple areas. When forming a recruitment strategy, anticipate that your company will always evolve and resultantly, so must your workforce. You must review the long-term requirements of roles and how they may change in the future. Consider how you will relay this information to your potential employees too. If they understand their responsibilities and their future at the company, then they will be less likely to leave. Here are some tips on how to tackle gauging the success-rate of a new hire:
- Consider making a detailed job specification and recruitment map for candidates. Record what this role will entail and how it may change over their time with the company.
- Balance budget and quality. Hiring cheaper staff might have a lower impact on the bank balance, but may not deliver the results you need.
- How many people do you really need on your team? If you can’t afford financial implications such as insurance, sick pay and basic equipment, you may want to rethink your game plan.
- How do you see your potential employee performing over the next six months, a year, two years? Will they help implement the plans you have for the business’ future?
- Be explicit about your expectations of employees’ personal growth in their roles as the company evolves. If the intention is to eventually expand the role into other departments, will you provide the training necessary to implement this skills shift, or will you expect them to have transferable experience?
Writing a job description
Once you have devised your job specification, it’s time to take on the job description. This needs to be kept simple. No one is going to read a bland and content-heavy description, let alone be enticed by it.
Many job sites, like CV-Library, offer the option to add criteria to screen candidates prior to their application, so you need to think about the fundamentals of the role. Try these suggestions when writing a job description:
- Produce a brief introduction to the company and working environment.
- Offer a concise list of key roles and responsibilities.
- Are there any benefits you will offer your staff?
- Convey the training and development opportunities that are attached to the role.
Attract the best talent
At this stage you are ready to start advertising your job vacancies, but how exactly can you tap into that talent pipeline? Think about your business: what is it and what does it stand for? Once you have this established you can start fishing in the candidate pool. Consider these pointers when projecting your name to attract the top talent:
- Find out where the talent lies and get people talking about your brand name. For example, if you’re looking for skilled millennials, social media platforms could be the way forward, especially as they are a cost-friendly advertising device for your startup. Think about setting up accounts with Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn and start building your presence there.
- Recognition of your company will then attract candidates to your site to find out more. Create an influential ‘Careers’ or ‘About Us’ page to make job hunters want to work for you. Try accentuating your business’ core qualities such as what it does, long term goals for the company, company ethos and the type of work attitude you aim to breed.
- Job boards are an excellent investment as they are an efficient way to post your ad and gain maximum coverage for your job vacancies. For example, CV-Library has an 8.9 million strong CV database, receives 16 million job searches every month and as a result, provides over 2.5 million applications every month too. Therefore, by using job sites such as this, you can be certain that many professionals will view your vacancy, increasing your application rate and return on investment.
Select the right person
When carrying out the recruitment process, you must remember the most important goal: make sure you get the right person for the job. You should aim to steer clear of ‘reactive’ hires or bending the requirements to fill a vacancy quickly as you are eager to get going. It is far more worthwhile and cost efficient to take the time to find an ideal candidate, rather than taking the quick and easy route. Here’s some advice when on the head hunt:
- Make sure you tailor each interview to the role and ask key questions. Determine the specifics – does this candidate have the appropriate skills, qualifications and experiences to take on this role? Remember that you’re aiming to fill the specific roles you need in your startup and should avoid spending money on unnecessary head counts, so stay focused.
- Are they committed? It is vital to delve into candidates’ aspirations and thoughts on career progression when dealing with starting up; you need a strong and stable workforce from the beginning.
- Bear in mind co-worker dynamics. Will this potential employee fit the team? This is a crucial factor, especially for startups. You don’t want your business to suffer because of a co-worker tiff.
- Take a straightforward attitude when explaining the role to candidates and what you expect to achieve; make sure the candidate believes that this is achievable for them too.
- Furthermore, it is advisory to listen to what the candidate wants. If you take into consideration what’s important to them, you are much more likely to secure the best talent.
Showcase your business
If you’ve found your ideal candidate, the next step is convincing them to accept your employment offer. If the candidate is the perfect fit for the position, this shouldn’t be too much of a task, but you need unique selling points. Work perks are an ideal way to show how much you value your staff’s contribution to the company. As you’re just starting up though, remember to be savvy with your budget. Work perks don’t have to cost the earth, simply get people communicating and feeling comfortable at work and you’ll be on to a winner. Consider the following:
- How tailored is the working environment? For example, will you allow snacks at the desk or the occasional mufti day to create a more relaxed environment for employees?
- What other benefits will you offer other than monetary ones? Social events and clubs are an effective way to show how much you value your staff. In addition, they are the perfect occasion for your employees to get bonding, ensuring a tightly knit workforce.
- Any other benefits that will help candidates personally? Job hunters are keen on pension schemes, flexitime and childcare vouchers too. If you’ve got it, shout about it!
Looking to the future
Remember though, this is only the beginning of your journey. Take your time with the recruitment process to find the perfect employees; they are a precious investment. After all, creating the perfect team is the keystone to success.
