3 key strategies to hire employees for a startup

Introduction

                                                                            

The Strategies

1. Look beyond job portals 

1. Using social media: Social media is a really powerful tool that costs little effort and almost no money. As an entrepreneur of a small enterprise or a start-up, you can easily set up your personal and company accounts on most social media platforms without paying for it. The key here is to be active on these platforms constantly so that you can project yourself as a thought leader and project your organisation as a coveted place to work in. 
   Understand what the top talent is looking for - what motivates them, what inspires them, what are their aspirations. Based on that, write and post about various themes that you think will appeal to the kind of talent you want to hire. This can create visibility for your business and connect you to the right people who will fit into the culture of your organisation.
2. Use referrals: This is often underrated as a strategy while hiring as people might not find it easy to ask their network or peers for referrals. When looking to hire someone, it might be very helpful to talk to people who you think to know the kind of people you are looking for. In this age of instant messaging and information overload, it might be better to pick up the phone and make a few calls. 
3. Networking: This is a big one - whether it is for hiring potential employees or not, networking is a very powerful exercise. By meeting people and making connections, you are always more likely to find the right people when you need them. 

2. Relook at your interview process 

                                                                       

1. More than a conversation: Interview processes are the critical steps before hiring someone. While there is merit in looking at the past experience and credentials of the candidate, try and gauge whether they have the required skills. This can be done differently for different roles. For some functions, it might mean role plays, for others, it could be giving relevant assignments, or adding another interview round with an expert who knows the function.
2. More, the merrier: As humans, we are coloured by many biases and prejudices. We might be aware of some of these but many can go unnoticed. So, having more than one person interview the potential candidate (from within your team) can give you a better idea of fitment. 

3. Build a robust onboarding process

                                                                   

1. Process: When you are onboarding a new team member, it really helps to have a clear process in place. If you are hiring your first team member, then take the time to create a clear journey for the newcomer. What will they experience? Where will they go for queries? What will they need to do in the first week? If you already have a couple of people on board, then assigning the newcomer with a buddy can make the process smoother for everyone. 
2. Set clear expectations: Joining a new workplace can be overwhelming for newcomers. While they settle in and learn the ropes, it might be helpful to have clear expectations and communicate them, so that they know what to expect and deliver in the first few weeks of joining the business. This can include what the general guidelines are, deliveries for the first month, modes of working, the culture within the team, etc. 
3. Success Metrics: While most organisations will have clear success metrics for every role, it is important to drill them down to what they might look like in the first week, or month, depending on the nature of your business. Let the new hires know that they need to deliver and how you are going to be measuring it. Set clear success criteria for the onboarding phase along with defined timelines. 

1. Where did most of my competent existing employees come from?
2. What can my new hires tell me about the hiring process?
3. When is my busy season and how can I plan for it?

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