It takes more than just a great idea to make a startup work. You need a competent team that can help propel your business closer to your company goal. Early on, the recruitment process is going to be crucial, as this is what will lay the foundation for your business. The irony is that even though it’s vital for startups to get this process done correctly, they are also the most likely to commit recruitment errors.
This is due in large part to their lack of experience in the hiring process, limited market awareness, and they’re unlikely to be able to offer competitive salaries. Given these limitations, these are some of the most common recruitment mistakes that startups make.
Hiring a Team of Generalists
By hiring a team of generalists, some tasks are left to people who have little to no experience in that field. While such a team is generally effective, the problem lies in the fact that in a budding business, attention needs to be given to the finer details of a task. The better approach is to hire specialists in key areas such as product, coding, finance, and marketing. You may want to consider looking at resume examples by profession to help you identify the credentials that would best benefit your startup
Hiring Too Fast
People who start businesses often aim for the biggest growth in the shortest amount of time. This attitude tends to also influence the hiring process, which can result in a non-cohesive team if done in haste. This also leaves you with a team that is more likely to exhibit a culture clash. When hiring, do so slowly, and make sure that your new hires are exactly what you’re looking for.
Failing to Diversify Your Hires
If you only hire based on compatibility you’re going to end up with a team that lacks diversity. This will also mean that the ideas that come from your team are going to lack diversity as a result. Always prioritize hiring based on skills. Your business culture will evolve over time, and the resulting culture will be much more natural.
Hiring Experienced Sales Teams Too Early
While the importance of marketing cannot be overemphasized, an effective marketing team will be rendered useless if their marketing strategy doesn’t represent a good product to begin with. Considering that experienced sales teams cost a significant amount of money, you’d be much better off hiring a junior sales teams and using the money you’ve saved to invest further into improving your product.
Mixing Friendship With Business
Hiring too many of your friends is a dangerous trend. Even though a good number of businesses were founded on great friendships, there’s a good chance that you’d be less objective when dealing with your friends, which can be harmful to both your friendship and your business. Remember, always hire based on skill.
Choosing your first employees is similar to choosing the first bricks you lay. They serve as the foundation for your startup, and the quality of your first hires can sway whether your startup grows or crumbles.
By Samantha Acuna
Samantha Acuna is a writer based in San Francisco, CA. Her work has been featured in The Huffington Post, Entrepreneur.com, and Yahoo Small Business.
