Gearing up to recruit staff for your start-up?
Hiring your first staff member is a BIG deal. We know how much hard work and dedication it takes to get to that point. The hard work doesn’t stop there.
Through conversations with Perth’s Start-Up industry, we’ve learnt that recruiting the right people is one of the biggest challenges that start-ups face, and it’s true!
Recruitment is hard. But what’s that saying, ‘Nothing worth having comes easy’?As a leading recruitment agency in Perth, we pay attention to the trends. It’s our job to keep up-to-date on what’s happening in the talent market and let us tell you, it’s an exciting time.
The tech scene in Perth is a vibrant hub of ideas that are set to change the world. The most important thing you can invest in right now is people.Start-up businesses are booming.
Recruiting and retaining staff is one of the biggest challenges faced by start-ups globally
The challenge of recruiting the best minds is heightened by the limited funding start-up businesses face. Hiring employees is risky business. Hire the wrong person and you could blow your funding and your business in one swoop. No one wants that. Building relationships with those (like us) who have a knack a of finding the right fit for your company is a sure-fire way for you to find the best talent for YOUR business. But if you want to test the waters and approach the market yourself, here are our top tips when hiring the best start-up employees.
Are you a tech start-up in Perth who’s looking to recruit – here are our top tips.
How to recruit top talent for your start-up business
Get culture right from the start
This is a one-time opportunity to build brilliance from scratch. The founding members of your team are going to build and advocate your brand. Be clear on your values, your mission and your vision. You want to attract and hire people who will live and breathe it with you. The difference this makes in a team is immeasurable.
Cross your I’s and dot your T’s
Taking on employees comes with responsibility and accountability. Before you look to build your team make sure you’ve got employment contracts locked down along with things like payroll processes. This will make getting talent in the door a lot quicker. Seek some advice on these as it’s likely that you’ll want to incorporate aspects quite unique to your business such as IP and equity. It also shows how committed and invested you are in the relationship. Shortcuts are easy to take when you are small and having these standardised and readily available when you start hiring will make all the difference.
Be flexible
Some of the very qualities that make an individual the right hire in a start-up business are the same qualities that mean they aren’t the type that crave a 9-5 grind. You’re in the business of innovation – your staff want to do things quicker, better, smarter. Enable that. In the digital world, it’s easy to facilitate flexible working arrangements – whether it be around time, location or techniques. Once you extend your horizons from the rigid work styles embedded in Perth’s corporate landscape, you’ll have more talented people eager to work with you.
Don’t hire a genius if he’s an a**hole
The smartest person in the room can also be the most destructive. Capability is an important factor when hiring for your business – but you can’t let it be everything. Choose aptitude and attitude over ability. One way to do this is to involve everyone in your hiring decision – build a ‘meet the team’ session into your hiring process with the opportunity for feedback. It will make your team feel invested in the success of every hire. Don’t be afraid to let technical brilliance come and go if it’s accompanied by a toxic attitude.
Hang on tightly to the top talent you secure
You can’t just rest on selling them the dream. When you’re growing a team, it’s crucial to keep morale high. Pay people on time, include them in decisions, celebrate successes and devote time to team-building. Talent attracts talent. When you’re around talented people, they inspire and motivate you to do the best you can. Build a culture of excellence – you will attract like minds this is the best way to build your team. There are so many more insights we have to share here… watch this space.
Smart start-ups partner with recruitment agencies to find top talent
One of the quickest lessons for a smart start-up company to learn, is to consult with experts and outsource your weaknesses. You don’t need to do everything all alone. Start-up Founder burn-out is a serious downer. Let us quickly explain our story.
Sense Recruitment are well-known in Perth’s technology space for providing a premium recruitment service. We understand tech business intimately. We invest in our relationships with people, which means that they trust us to introduce them to like-minds. We have our finger on the pulse – always. You wouldn’t believe how many people we meet who are developing things in secret at home, who are teaching themselves to code or partnering with others to take ideas to the next level.
As a business, we’ve partnered with start-up organisations for nearly 10 years. We’ve helped them build teams that have enabled them to incorporate, to build their market strategy, to develop their products. We get to see first-hand what works and what doesn’t. Our experience means we can use other companies ‘lessons learned’ to truly partner with you on your recruitment strategy.
We know the market, we have a locked-down recruitment process and we do it well – it’s our job. We help build out capability across C-suite, digital & marketing, sales & product development.
Beyond just recruitment engagements, did you know there are so many things our recruitment team can teach you?
- How to network at the right events to find people who’ll fit with you
- How to build your employer brand and advocate your story to attract talent
- Where and who to seek advice from across all aspects of your business
- How to learn the who’s who in your industry and how to connect with them. Beyond simply finding employees, there are so many things our recruitment agency can teach you.
Want specialised start-up recruitment help?
If you’ve decided that you’re not really a recruitment pro, and that you do want to hire the right talent from the start, we’re always here to talk. It’s nice to think you can go it alone, but hiring the wrong employee can be a real costly mistake.