Small teams require every member to contribute value.
Are you struggling to build your dream team?
Below are eight common problems founders run into, along with solutions for each.
Rushing to Hire
The urge to hire fast is real, but it can lead to hiring an average performer or worse. The angst to "get someone here fast" can cause months of unwinding.
Avoid creating more work for tomorrow (if someone is a poor performer) by implementing these minimum steps:
Share the job opportunity through multiple channels (referrals, social media, and at least one paid job board).
Conduct initial conversations with five to ten people.
Interview at least three candidates for the role to enable comparison.
Involve at least three people in the hiring process. This diverse perspective helps mitigate risks of hiring based on likeability or overreliance on resume qualifications.
Overlooking Cultural Fit
Hire people with diverse skills and experiences to encourage creativity and better problem-solving, but also ensure they support your vision and values.
Try sharing actual problems at your company with potential candidates and discuss resolving them to confirm that their approach aligns with your business. This approach also improves the likelihood of good mutual fit. Everyone knows companies can do better, and it's better to openly discuss addressing your challenges so the person knows before starting.
Offering Vague Descriptions
The job posting is a first impression. Make sure it conveys your vision, is clear, and is consistent with your values.
In interviews, discuss the growth potential in the company and highlight employees who have flourished. The temptation is to be only positive but let them know the opportunities while managing expectations (e.g. raises only happen every twelve months).
Hiring for Only Today
As the company grows, the role you're filling will likely change drastically. In my first startup job, my job fundamentally switched from the Director of Operations to the Head of Client Relations to the Director of Payment Processing in each of my three years. The throughput was my ability to organize, communicate, plan, and learn.
So, I favor people with intelligence, motivation, and adaptability who will always be able to contribute. Hire for broad capability versus a specific skill. Also, this advice unlocks growth:
"Only hire people who are better than you."
– Laszlo Bock
Ignoring Screening Criteria
Verify candidates to avoid your hiring biases. When you call their references, seek examples of productivity and working style. Look for consistency across all of the references when it comes to results, behaviors, and ways the person can develop in their career.
When possible, use objective assessments (e.g. tests or presentations) and role-plays to evaluate responses in realistic scenarios.
Allowing a Poor Experience
A smooth process confirms to candidates that you work quickly and smartly. It shows your company is efficient and professional, and they can expect that environment if they are hired. A high-quality, motivated candidate may leave if your process is too slow.
So, communicate well and set expectations. Just like you expect from them.
Lacking a Clear Process
Be aware of the “I have a good feeling” trap when it comes to the final selection. When I've seen hires not work out, there is often the sense that they were poorly vetted or pushed by one person while others were hesitant. So, create an objective process based on job requirements and their ability to connect past experiences with future needs.
Create a matrix of qualifications including criteria such as experience, skills, and motivation. For each criterion, develop three to five objective measures. The total scores shouldn't be interpreted literally—for example, 85.2 is essentially the same as 85.8, but both are likely less significant than 93.6. Instead, use these scores to group top candidates into tiers.
At a startup, your next hire could be the difference between stagnation and hypergrowth.
Here's your takeaway: Spend 5 minutes (yes, right now) to pick one item from above where you can level up in the next two weeks.
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This post was written by me with AI editing. The image is AI generated by popmelon.
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