Recruiting best people in a start-up company

We often come across this question “How to hire best talent in an organisation” no matter how big is the company setup or how old is its existence

Also, if we look at the situation which is considering a start up company which is very small, this question becomes all the more prominent, “how to hire best talent when the resources are limited?”

Every organisation in its span faces challenges to recruit, but the question is “how to recruit”

In today’s scenario hiring talent is not the only difficulty, but the real skill is to bring the right person who is smart, willing to learn and flexible enough to adapt, be in line with company’s vision and can attract more people as peers or subordinates. The concern for any start up company is to set the direction correct to ensure new recruits follow the same and quickly become productive assets.

Hiring has to be a well thought out strategy, meant to take care of all challenges of getting another person bring. For instance before recruiting manpower, it is essential to be able to identify the right person for the right job, having said that some of the key points need to be closely evaluated before the hiring process begins

• Why do you need to hire?
• Whom do you want to hire?
• What kind of job this person will be doing?
• What should be the desirable skill set?
• What should be the minimum qualification and years of experience required?
• What will the scope of responsibility?
• Who will this person report to, who will be under his direct influence?

Answers to the above questions come from a detailed job description of the position and an organization chart which maps the flow of information and work in the company. The reason time is to be spent on these 2 aspects is to ensure that every effort being put in is actually becoming part of a larger game plan and beneficial in the long run.

For any new business, people with multi skill and passion to face challenges are required rather than a person with higher education or exposure only to a specific type and area of work. Education qualification should be considered as one of the facets to see the person’s ability and interest on the subject, but major consideration should be on his/her varied work experience, the kind of role that was being performed, the value proposition that this hire bought in the last assignments.

 

Due consideration should also be given to how the individual performed as an individual and as a part of the team. It will throw a bigger picture on the capabilities, dedication and aggression to get things moving. Previous exposure can also helps in evaluating how appropriate the skill is to the kind of role or job being offered, stress should be on understanding his skill and how much a firm can train this person to quickly grasp and start delivering. It is often seen that unless the job actually demand, generalists are better in start-up environments rather than specialists.

 

One needs to remember that about 80% of resumes in India are fabricated and what is written in the resume is not in line with actual deliverables on ground. Therefore, the process of interviewing should be designed to check the actual deliveries. There are numerous interviewing techniques to find this and you should invest time in learning these.

Another trend in start-ups is to see that people working in reputed companies are offered to join at higher salaries, but often failed to retain them for long. Hiring a right talent and retaining the same for long time is a bigger challenge. It is just not the salary but other associated expenses need be considered equally. It should be kept in mind to offer right salary among all the competition. Any employee in today’s world sees the cash and other benefits, ensure that you plan this package for next 5 years for the employee. Keep it attractive so the employee is productive.

In start up usually MD’s or Directors directly interact with candidates to conduct interviews which rightly directs us that there is no formal interview process. There should be a minimum of 2 interviews and the person should be evaluated on various parameters as set in the job description either by consultant or line managers before meeting company’s stake holders. Some of the biggest mistakes made in hiring are of hiring people basis resume, brand of company, spoken English, dressing and attractiveness. Remember, the hiring is meant to add value to the business, so don’t let other things influence you which don’t figure out in the job description.

Another question that arises is of money, how much is the company willing to spend to hire talent?

For any start up where resources are limited, brining the wrong person on board can not only add up to the cost but also will mislead other people working as peers or subordinates. No company big or small can afford to do that mistake. Interestingly what needs to be prepared by the employer is the career sales pitch. Chances are the person you would like to hire would also be someone else’s choice, or would be also getting ready to be an entrepreneur like yourself.

A great sales pitch is required on the career of the individual, build systems and processes to support this sales pitch, remember employees are far more aware of the market scenario, brand image and the culture of the organization than many in the top management believe. Therefore it is essential to have a great career pitch with supporting structures and processes to ensure success of an individual. If the individual is successful, you too as an entrepreneur add a layer of success to your grand design. So, we must realise it is just not about recruiting right person, it is also about recruiting the person with a focussed approach and a thought through strategy to make the individual successful.

 

Amarpreet Kaur

( Amarpreet is Principal Consultant at HRhelpdesk.in)