Struggling to build your startup team? Let’s help you out!

Companies that have a strong hold in the market, say FMCG or Automotive , tend to produce products which are a bit more advanced than their previous launch. Their major motive is to not lose confidence of the already existing user base.

On the other hand, a startup is a beginning from scratch. Employees do not have some predecessor’s shoes to gain insight from and neither a prominent history of successful commodities that they can use as a benchmark for their next project.

Hence, what becomes essential in such a scenario is how even the most insignificant job in a startup requires an out of the box thinking. Thereby, it becomes essential for an entrepreneur to have a team that can believe in his ideas.

What differentiates a merely profitable startup from one that goes on to become a biggie is the entrepreneur’s knowledge of choosing the right people who can help him achieve what he aims for. And the fact that ‘a company is known by those who run it’ isn’t just veracious for a startup, but every organisation, small or big. Hence, here are 5 things which when imbibed in the hiring process help recruit the most ideal workforce for a startup.

• Is experience just about previous jobs?

In most cases, entrepreneurs only focus on an applicant’s past experience as a measure of his/her working abilities. Rather than going through the grinds of comprehensively judging the talents, they tend to depend only on the applicant’s prior work experience.

This isn’t an erroneous criteria but keeping it as the only one leads to missing out on fresh faces, energized to prove their mettle. Giving importance to traits like experience gained through competitions in college and skills developed in the process, helps find the best fit for a task. Every big shot in the market does start somewhere, and if you can be the one giving a break to such an individual, it also helps you hone your characteristics as a leader.

Even an entrepreneur is a nobody when he starts his journey in the market!

• Being quiet does not mean being under confident.

  

Shyness to express one’s thoughts is assumed to be a characteristic which goes against the chances of an applicant getting hired. Due to this reason, introverts miss out on job offers even if they’re best suited for them.

Therefore, it becomes all the more important to have an interviewing process which helps understand the best of even the most hesitant individual. More often than not, the more an individual expresses becomes a way for entrepreneurs to judge his/her confidence level. 

Hence, a techie who has the potential to come up with the most efficient piece of code for the startup should not be an opportunity missed merely because he wasn’t vibrant enough to discuss his accomplishments as a developer.

• Compatibility: Is it love or arranged?

  

Startups usually comprise of small teams, and consequently, every department does not have a huge set of members. Hence, it is up to the people working in different departments to keep up with each other’s progress and adapt accordingly.

So, even if a graphic designer isn’t a prodigy at his/her work, but can happily accept constructive criticism from other departments without intervention of an HR professional, he’ll any day be a better choice.

The ability to work in unison with others is what makes an employee the most suitable choice for a startup.

• Soft skills aren’t just an added perk, they define the employee:

If an entrepreneur commits mistakes, he may not have the backing of investors, or profits generated from previous products to fall back upon unlike established companies. The emotional strength to withstand failures and henceforth, take individual initiative is what you need to look for.

Having a selection procedure which also makes the candidate go through questions that help derive traits pertaining to their emotional quotient helps understand how an applicant would react to diverse situations that a startup experiences.

Try making up a questionnaire that suits the needs of your startup and hire the best fit.

P.S. EQ(emotional quotient) is as important as IQ(intelligent quotient).

• Leaders: These are what startups are made of.

Startups do not comprise of hierarchies. Also, it is not feasible for the entrepreneur to take every decision, small or big, all by himself.

Unlike established companies, which have a higher level to keep a check on the progress of their subordinates, startups require employees who have the ability to take independent decisions. The people working in a startup aren’t just part of a workforce which is expected to do their job and wait for some higher authority to approve it.

Understanding what the entrepreneur is out there to achieve and taking responsibility of every aspect the company goes through, be it losing out on a lucrative deal, or failing at properly executing a marketing idea, is a factor that differentiates a desk job worker from a trailblazer. Choose wisely because you’re building the face of what you wish your startup to be!

TAKE A CLOSER LOOK! THE RIGHT PEOPLE ARE JUST ROUND THE CORNER!