Best Start-Up Hiring Practices

Best Practices to Follow When Hiring for Your Startup

If you are in the process of launching a startup business, congratulations! We know that you’ve been putting in a ton of hours and probably money too to ensure your startup business is ready for a successful launch. Perhaps you’ve already launched and due to growth it is time to hire some employees to help you out. No matter where you are in the process of creating a successful startup, we’ve got some best practices that you should follow when hiring for your startup.

Who should your start-up hire?

A rule of thumb to follow when hiring for your startup is, if you are looking to fill a senior position, hire somebody with experience. If you are looking to hire for a junior or entry-level position, you should hire the smartest person you can find. It’s a good idea to hire people that can do what you can’t or that have experience where you don’t. For instance, maybe you only have experience with online sales because you had to open a shop for your startup. If your online shop is booming, you’ll want to hire somebody that has even more experience in that arena than you do in order to make the most of the online store and continue to boom in business.

If you are looking to hire an intern or a role that is less technical, hire the most eager person you can find. What a hire lacks in experience, they can make up for in willingness to learn and excitement to land their first gig. You want people that have experience but also people that are excited about the mission of the company and that are willing to fill in where they’re needed and absorb and learn as much as they can.

Take your time

We understand that orders may be piling up and you really need to find help ASAP. But, it’s important that you hire the right people that will stick around and that you can trust and rely on. If possible, it’s a good idea to have new employees start on some type of probation period, say for 90 days. You want to make sure everybody that works for you understands and agrees with your company’s mission and philosophy. Taking a little bit of extra time to find the right people to work for you can save you from big headaches and disasters in the longterm. If you do find and hire people that are aligned with the company values and whose work you are impressed with, ask them if they have any friends, former co-workers or classmates that would like to join the company as well.

Finding the right people

This tip plays into taking your time to hire. As we mentioned, it’s so important that you hire the right people for your startup. It’s likely that you don’t have a large staff or a large space to work in. So, everybody at your company will be working closely together and it’s important that the personalities are all able to get along, at least for the good of the company.

Alternative types of interviews

One way to find out who a candidate really is, what their personality is like, how they would jive with current employees and how they perform under pressure is to try an alternative interview. An example of an alternative interview is to try a group interview with multiple candidates and some current employees. This will help you see how each candidate does in a social setting but also when they are mixing among future co-workers and potential competition.

Background checks and Personality Tests

Though our list sticks to best practices for hiring that may be considered a little more out of the box than usual. We still recommend doing traditional pre-screening practices, like making sure the candidates have the type of education and experience you are looking for. You should also still run an employment background check on candidates to see what their past employers have to say about their performance, attitude and character as an employee.

Perfect Your Hiring Process and Win Big

Hiring for your startup can be an exciting time because it typically means that you are growing as a company, but it can also be stressful bringing new people into the mix and trusting them with the company that you have poured your heart and soul into. That’s why it is incredibly important that you take the time to hire the right people and find the best fit for the future of your startup business. Follow the tips in this article to help cultivate a strong hiring strategy that will lead to you hiring the best people for your startup and watch your company grow even more.