When startups begin, they often don’t have much experience with hiring. After all, they’ve just launched and have an idea of what they need to grow.
However, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t start thinking about getting a staff now that you do have some semblance of an employee base. For many entrepreneurs and startups alike, finding the right technical talent is one of the toughest challenges they face.
There are so many developers out there clamoring for jobs that it can be difficult to find the right fit for your company. If you aren’t careful, hiring someone who isn’t up to par with your startup could spell disaster for your company later on down the line. Read on to know what steps can help your startup to find the right tech talent.
Hire for culture fit and skills
Like any other hiring decision, the most important thing you can do is hire people who fit into the culture of your company.
While the skills and experience a candidate has are important, it’s the culture fit that will ultimately make or break your team. A mismatch in culture can lead to creative block, excessive overtime, and even resentment among your staff members.
This can have devastating consequences, especially if you’re trying to grow your business and have no time to fix the issue. So, when hiring, ensure that you take the time to interview potential candidates and assess whether they truly fit into the culture at your company.
Don’t rely on job ads
One major mistake you can make when hiring a technical team is to rely on job ads. While it’s a good starting point, job ads are often outdated and don’t show the entire picture of your company.
In fact, job ads often have a certain way of writing and framing a problem that may not represent your company at all. For example, if you run an education-based startup, job ads seeking engineering talent may mention things like “an app for teachers” or “online platform for teachers.”
While these are great problems to solve, hiring for engineering talent, or even product-based problems, may not be the best fit for your company.
Involve your team in the interview process
At the very least, involve your team in the interview process for potential candidates. Even if it’s just you interviewing the candidates, it can make a big difference.
As you interview candidates, you can test their knowledge of your company, products, and team members. And if you use an interview process that includes team members, like a series of interviews with a small group of people, you can also test their ability to communicate with you and one another.
Including your team in the interview process can help you find those candidates who will not only have the right technical skills, but also fit into your company’s culture.
Hold regular employee meetups
At the very least, hold regular employee meetups—a time where your team can get to know one another more intimately. At these meetups, your team can get to know one another better, and also get to know each other’s personalities and interests outside of work.
And, of course, when a team gets to know each other better, it can make communication across the team much easier and smoother. Meetups can also be a great opportunity for you to test the knowledge of candidates on your team. This can help you find those candidates who are not only technically proficient, but also up to speed on your business.
Offer equity to top candidates
As much as you may want to keep equity strictly in your back pocket, it’s important to start offering equity to top candidates.
An equity grant is a great way to show top candidates that you value them as individuals, while also showing other employees that you have faith in their talents.
Asking candidates to sign non-disclosure agreements can also help you keep equity grants to a minimum. This way, you can test the knowledge of candidates in a legal way and keep their identities confidential.
Conclusion
Finding and hiring talented developers can be challenging. When you get the right ones, they can transform your company and help you scale quickly. But, getting the right tech talent can be challenging and can feel overwhelming.
Here are some tips to help you hire the right talent. First, focus on culture fit. If someone doesn’t feel right at your company, they won’t be happy. Second, don’t rely on job ads. They are often outdated and don’t show the entire picture of your company. Involve your team in the interview process and hold regular employee meetups. Offer equity to top candidates.
