Finding staff for your tech startup can present a challenge. You want great employees who are committed to your business, but as a startup you can’t always afford to pay the salaries or offer the benefits that larger companies can provide. Fortunately, there are recruiting strategies you can implement to help you to attract top talent.
1. Show Off Your Advantages
As a startup, you might not be able to offer a huge salary and a competitive benefits package. Chances are, however, you are able to offer potential recruits something that bigger companies cannot. Show off what advantages you have as a startup! Consider emphasizing these perks:
Do you offer flexible work hours? For many millennials flexible work hours are an excellent incentive for accepting a position with a start-up business.
Do you offer work from home opportunities? While you may not want employees to work from home every day, will you allow them that opportunity if, for example, they have sick kids at home and can’t come into the office? This kind of flexibility isn’t always available at larger companies with strict policies, so offering such accommodations can give you a competitive edge when it comes to bringing on new employees.
Do you prioritize work/life balance? Are employees able to turn off their phones at the end of the day and enjoy time at home, rather than feeling the need to be constantly connected to the office? No matter how much someone loves their job, everyone needs a break from work and time to focus on their personal life. Emphasize the fact that your startup values a healthy work/life balance, as larger companies may not offer the same balance.
Do you offer great career opportunities? Sometimes working for a startup allows for skill-building opportunities or professional growth that candidates might not be able to get anywhere else. A smaller organization can allow employees to step into roles outside of their primary responsibilities, allowing for additional professional growth.
Take the time to sit down and think through the advantages of working for your startup. You may be surprised by the benefits you really do offer your candidates–and in turn, that may help improve your available candidate pool.
2. Set Honest Expectations
Let’s face it: there are probably some downsides to working for your tech startup. Lower salary is one factor that many recruits may struggle to accept. Are you unable to offer insurance, forcing your employees to look elsewhere for health benefits? Do your employees work long hours? Make sure that your recruits get the full picture of what working for your company will be like, and address the possible drawbacks as well as the benefits.
While addressing the negatives may initially decrease your candidate pool, it will also ensure that the employees you do hire are committed to your company and fully understand what they’re getting into. Helping prospective hires understand what to expect will decrease the number of employees who quit early in the process, which will ultimately mean you spend less on recruiting and hiring.
3. Interact with Candidates
When candidates interview with your company, what is their experience like? Candidate experience is an important factor in the recruiting process that can seriously affect their decision to accept or decline your offer. What made candidates accept your offer? Were the candidates who declined your offer put off by something or someone in the hiring process, or was there a certain factor that most influenced their decision?
Ask your candidates questions about their perspective on the hiring process. Give them the opportunity to provide feedback on your hiring and recruiting process–especially candidates that you ultimately hire. Then, use that feedback to help transform your hiring process so that you’ll be able to recruit more effectively in the future.
4. Work with a Great Recruiting Company
You’ve got plenty of tasks already on your plate, and you don’t want to have to spend hours sorting through resumes, pre-qualifying candidates, and moving through the interview process. Instead, let a great recruiting company take some of these tasks off your plate.
Your time is in high demand, so focus on your startup and let qualified professionals, like Atlantic Group, optimize your recruiting process. The cost of hiring a recruiting company will ultimately be worth the time and energy saved, as they can streamline your hiring process and bring in top tier candidates. Contact Atlantic Group today to learn how we can efficiently and effectively find the perfect employees for you.