Startups: Good Hires Go a Long Way
There is often a misconception that hiring tools are only necessary for large companies that have thousands of employees and dozens of job vacancies. Of course, one of the goals of hiring tools is to make the lengthy process of hiring easier – by providing a platform that automates processes, help organize, and put everything you need for hiring in one place. However, more importantly, hiring tools – and assessment tools in particular – are there to help you find the best and most suitable candidate for your job opening.
More-so than funding, arguably the biggest challenge for startups is hiring the right people to expand your team. For smaller teams especially, every hire will immensely impact the future of your projects. Here are some reasons why assessment tools are just as helpful for startups as they are for large corporations.
No Time for Task Delegation
As exciting as it is to bring on a new employee to your growing team, it can also be nerve-wrecking. Bringing on a good addition that has the skills and experience you need can exponentially expedite your project development. At the same time, hiring the wrong person can really be irrevocably harmful to your company. With limited employees, this means that every single person on your team must be able to complete the tasks assigned to their position on their own and to the standard desired. There is little opportunity for them to delegate a task to somebody else. More so than ever, you need to hire a good-fit member that has the exact skill set, capacity and motivation that your team needs.
Close-Knit Team
At the early stages of your company development, the presence of another person on your team will have a big influence on your company culture as well. Therefore, when hiring for startups, it’s important to not only consider their practical skills but also think about whether or not they will fit well with the rest of your team. What is their personality like? What is their work style? Even if they do not have the exact skill set you need, do they have the potential? How flexible do you need their working style to be? Finding a bad-fit for your team culture can have a greater negative effect on your work environment and productivity than you can imagine.
Focus on your Brand
On top of fostering a work culture internally for your team, it is also important to pay close attention to what you want your brand to be like. Similar to work culture, each employee also represents your brand and image to the outside world. On the flip side, it is also hard for startups to hire talent because they have yet established a clear brand. The hiring process then could be an opportunity to not only bring aboard new employees, but also for your company to sit down and clearly draw out what you want your culture, brand, and employees to be like.
1000 Job Seekers for 1 Position
As you are posting a job ad for the one opening you have at your company, you may think, “how much work can this really be?” The answer is: a lot. On average, it is estimated that for each online job posting, 1000 individuals will see the job post, 200 will go forward with the application process in which 100 of them will complete the application. This means that there will be around 100 resumes coupled with cover letters for you to look through. Behind each job opening, there is a mountain of work that comes with posting and processing the ad and applicants. With limited time, an applicant tracking system can really help your budget by shifting a big chunk of work from labor to automation systems.
Make Hiring a Priority for your Startups
As much as project development may seem to be of utmost importance during the early days of your startup, hiring the right people is just as crucial. Even if you don’t currently have a vacant position, it is never too early to attract talent for a quickly growing team. Being more proactive now by placing more emphasis on hiring will bring more benefit to the grand scheme of things. Don’t let the cost of a bad hire devastate your startup!