Hiring is an exciting (and sometimes stressful) process, no matter what stage your company is in. Yet, for early-stage companies, each successful hire can significantly impact its goals, culture, and future. To find the right candidate for your early-stage company, consider these three things before you begin hiring--  

1. Define the role 

Before you begin the hiring process, take a step back and focus on what you are looking for by defining the role. If you have given little thought to the details of the role, or the things you are looking for, it might be tough to find that right match. Here are a couple of things you should keep in mind as you create your job description. 

Salary

Showing salary ranges can help bring you the right candidates and save you and the candidate. Salary transparency can also help close inequitable pay gaps. Lastly, research has shown that 70% of candidates want to hear about salary first.  

Flexibility

Nowadays, flexibility can serve as a huge draw for candidates and is something they look for. Remote working (fully, or even a hybrid model), flexible start/end times, part-time roles, or slightly more than a part-time role are all things you should consider while defining what you need in a role. 

People first 

Highlight what values separate your company and the culture candidates can expect! 

Clear Expectations 

Notice as you are defining the role if you happen to have a long laundry list of descriptions that could be multiple roles. A role should have reasonable expectations so your future match can be successful, and your company can utilize people’s talent and abilities. It’s a good rule of thumb not to make descriptions too broad, as it could drive people away when it’s unclear what you’re looking for. Nor do you want a description too prescribed, as it might give you a narrow set of candidates. 

Background

Think about what experience level you are looking for and the tasks you are looking for. A common mismatch might be recruiting an executive, or VP level role, when you really need someone on the ground doing tasks vs. managing or strategy work. 

Want to learn more about writing a job description? Check out our job description blog here. 

2. Optimize against resource constraints (both management and interviewing)

You should consider who will manage interviews and who your interviewing team will be. Getting a process in place for what you are looking for, what you are evaluating, and who will be a part of that ensures everyone is on the same page. 

You’ll also want to consider who will be managing your future hire and how that manager’s capacity will be impacted. Even if you have a strong hire, it’s important to consider mentorship and management - focusing resources specifically on those top performers who will be critical in defining the company’s growth trajectory. The interview process can be consuming for teams and leaders. Creating structure, ensuring everyone is trained to interview, and bias reduction techniques are kept in mind can all help make the process smoother.   

3. Create a culture of candidate care right away 

To find the best candidates, you’ll want to embrace a caring culture throughout the process. Before hiring begins, this could look like, 

Establishing different ways the role could grow and be successful

Chances are most candidates are looking to grow in some way, whether that’s through skills, industry knowledge, professionally or personally. In fact, many common questions on the candidate side are around that growth specifically. Giving thought to how you think this role will grow gives potential candidates room to imagine a long-term future with your company. 

Providing salary ranges 

As mentioned previously, salary is very important for candidates. Being upfront with salary is one way to support candidate care and contribute to closing wage gaps for women and minorities. 

Be prepared to answer how you’ll support diverse identity candidates 

Be open with diverse identity candidates on the support and structure you have (even current gaps you aspire to fill). Many candidates might have questions around inclusive benefits, community, affinities within a company culture, ERGs, or other forms of support. 

By taking the time to walk through these three steps before hiring, your early-stage company gets one step closer to finding the right candidate match. 

Looking to find the right candidate for your early-stage startup? Contact us here.