As startups grow, there inevitably comes a point when it's time to hire new people. Maybe you have a niche position that nobody who's currently employed can fill, or maybe you simply need more hands on deck to pick up some of the workload. Either way, it's important to recruit the right people. The people you hire should be passionate about your company, great at what you're hiring them to do, a good fit for the team and innovative. But sometimes it's hard to find anyone with those qualifications – and when you do, it can be difficult to offer them what they want out of a job on a startup budget. Here are five tips to make your recruiting process successful:
1. Know Your Needs
When recruiting, it's important to know the exact position you'd like to fill within your company – even if it's just a general dogsbody who can do a little bit of everything. Are you looking for a Web developer? Or maybe you're trying to find that perfect marketing mind who can put together a campaign with custom postcards and business letters in a jiffy? No matter what, knowing exactly what position you're filling will allow you to narrow your search to candidates whose experience and skills line up with what you're looking for.
2. Use Your Current Network
One of the best ways to recruit, according to Toronto-based company MaRS, is to use your network and the networks of your current employees to spread the word. Why is this so effective? Well, for one thing, it's basically free. But it can also help you find candidates who your employees already know and who will fit in well with the office culture. In fact, consider offering bonuses to employees who recommend a candidate who gets hired.
3. Be Honest
One of the hardest parts about recruiting people to join a startup is that, because there are few employees and the company is still developing, most positions are fluid and will likely change as the business grows. So, it's hard to offer someone a job when you aren't positive what that job will look like in the next year, or even in the next six months. Honesty is always the best policy, though. You want people who are willing to grow with the company and who don't mind doing tasks that are a little outside of their wheelhouse.
4. Offer Benefits
Benefits are hard to offer on a small startup budget, but new businesses don't have the luxury of resting on a great reputation to find excellent candidates. Find something unique that only your business can offer its employees. For instance, maybe you can allow telecommuting regularly or even let employees create completely flexible work schedules.
5. Send Swag
If you find a candidate you're really interested in, Mashable suggests sending a press kit that contains some recent editorials about your company or anything else that makes your company seem like a legitimate and stable choice. You can even include company swag, like personalized notepads or a funky sticker, to help seal the deal.
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