Time is the most crucial of the resources a startup founder has. You have to be careful where you spend it and how you prioritize it. One of the biggest time consumptions can be recruitment and to get that top notch talent it takes even more time which you don’t necessarily have. Below you can find a list of useful tips that can end up saving time from you.
Having a place where you can have people applying and in which you can easily manage the process is a key thing which you should select carefully. There are a lot of ATS’s which can be used for this purpose but make sure to keep in mind that it is simple enough for the applicant. Too complicated and too much to fill will drive applicants away from the form and your company in the end. Keep it simple is the essential rule here but it also makes it more time consuming as you will need to check through some of the data yourself from their CVs or LinkedIn profiles.
Recruitment is in some cases a long and time consuming process but it doesn’t necessarily have to be one. Having clear steps and next action points will make it easier to manage it. Having few email templates will definitely speed it up but you have to remember to give feedback for applicants to ensure a good employer brand. People who aren’t suitable now could be suitable in the future or even future clients so there are a lot of factors to consider.
In most cases at least you won’t have a high end employer brand that is able to pull the best candidates. This will make your visibly in the job market filled with noise and constant recruitment competition. In pretty much every case I have run across the best talent is already working and not actively looking. No wonder they are the best. How to approach, find and get them interested in your opportunity is about building a relationship with them which is time consuming once again. They might not be willing to move now but in the next 6 months for example which makes your effort pointless when you need results fast.
You might defer from the word headhunter or using externals to communicate your idea to people in their networks but you can establish simple rules for this to rest easy. Leaving all of the above to the professionals of the industry can be a daunting thing but when done properly will let you focus on other crucial things to build your dream. They have the network and tools in place to deliver in most cases. Good read is our other blog post on how to qualify your recruitment partner.
We are offering a specialized recruitment service for startups (click here) to battle the challenges of recruitment and to let you focus on the essential – building your dream business.
Written by Ville, @villvuor