In the last five years, my childhood friend Eddie has been dreaming and planning to launch his e-commerce business. Who can imagine how happy he was to see his dream come live on the 1st of July, 2016. We celebrated this achievement as he joined the big league of e-Commerce founders.
Just like most startups, Eddie started his journey as the founder and also the only employee of his nascent enterprise. A month later, as the little mustard seed began to grow, it dawned on him that he cannot run the business alone, he needed a team. That was when the fear and headache started. Who should he hire? Who can he trust with all his innovations? How will he cope with the excesses of total strangers who know nothing about the origin of his business? He confided in me and sought my help and that’s when my thought started going back and forth on Eddie’s travails and that of other startups.
How important is the first set of employees to the success of any start-up like Eddie’s? What should they consider in hiring their first team member – some who might become part owners in the future? What qualities should they consider most important? How can they spot “dangerous” candidates?
Are you having similar challenges like Eddie or about to start your own business? It is extremely important for you to know that if you make the right hiring choices, you will definitely get great rewards. However, if you get it wrong at this stage, the continued existence of your new dream is in grave danger.
The first step will be to have a hiring plan. This should state what the manpower needs for your startup will look like in 2-3 years time.
- Identify potential roles in your organization.
- Identify knowledge and skills that potential hires must possess.
- Identify the industry standards on remuneration and determine if you want to play above or below it.
The second step will be to determine when you actually need to make your first hire. Most startup executives have found out that the earlier this is done, the better if your budget permits. It is also pertinent to note that not making any hiring decisions to save cost may actually be hurting your business, as you may be underproducing or losing a new revenue stream due to lack of relevant manpower to fill those gaps.
You will also need to determine at this stage the number of staff needed and explore creative ways to make the few people hired do more without burning out. It will also be important to determine if your hires will be full-time employees or on contract/consulting basis.
The next critical step will be to hire. This step is very important to the success of your new business.
Generally, it is best to hire people who have broad knowledge in many areas, with a specialist knowledge in a particular field.
At this stage, it may also be beneficial to hire people for their potentials, not just on past work experiences. The best hire would be one who shares similar passions as you and believe in what your organisation stands for and hope to achieve. Hire people who have demonstrable skill or ability in a particular endeavour, even if it's a hobby. The amount of time and energy the potential hire puts into a personal venture to make it work speaks a lot about their work ethics and values.
Also, if possible, have the senior members of your team meet and interview the potential hires to ensure that everyone agrees with and feels comfortable with the hired candidate. It is also at this stage that cultural fit is prioritised. Ensure that you have a written "culture code" and examine all potential hires by this code to ensure that they match what your "dream" hire looks like.
Be as open as possible throughout the hiring process such that your potential hires understand that you truly want them as stakeholders and partners of your business.
The next step will be to actually find people and hire them. This can be achieved by writing a clear and concise job description that states exactly what needs potential hires will fill at your new startup.
Get creative at this stage, your job ad should include both soft and specific requirements so as to attract a sizable pool of qualified candidates. Describe your startup and show what unique benefits potential hires will derive by working for you.
Try traditional and niche online job boards when posting your ads and be sure to check up on various online communities where candidates with the required expertise that you are looking for are members.
Once you have narrowed down to your desired candidate pool, keep the entire recruitment process short and interactive.
So who are those not to look for in staffing your start-up:
- Managers who are already used to leading large groups of people and whose default is delegation. The majority of your projects will require people who will both come up ideas and execute them.
- You also do not need to hire people who are in it solely for the money. At this stage, you need people who are as invested in your business as you are. This gives them the persistence and drive and fulfills their need to be successful.
- Finally, do not be quick to hire your "carbon copy". Look for people who have different skills, background, and outlook on life. You need people who can also think differently, challenge some ideas and come up with new and creative ways of solving everyday problems.
Courtesy: Chidinma Ike ACIPM, SPHRi
