Recruiting for a role in your startup that you haven’t hired for before is a daunting task, especially if you have not done the role before yourself and don’t know anyone directly who is familiar with it. No matter what the role - whether a marketer, data scientist, web developer, or a C-level exec, these handy tips will help when you’re recruiting for a role in your tech startup that you’ve not hired for before.
1 Google other job descriptions
It is important to both understand the role that you are hiring for, and also to spend some time getting the job description and your expectations spot on.
Take some time to research other advertised roles that are being hired for, that are similar to your own recruitment requirement. This doesn’t mean copying other job adverts, but it does mean outlining the type of job duties, processes and systems that are typical in that role, and also highlighting the type of skills, experience and attributes that are required.
When doing this exercise, start by looking for tech startups that you admire, companies in a similar industry sector, at a similar stage or with a similar-sized headcount. Also, look at companies that are a little further ahead in their journey so that you don’t miss out on best practice elsewhere and can ensure that you are planning for growth within the role
Review a range of job descriptions and then start to create what you think your own new role might look like. Alongside this, research any specific elements of that role so that you feel better equipped to understand what someone might do on a typical day.
2 Speak to relevant people you already know
Anyone that works within the tech startup industry will know how friendly and supportive the majority of the sector is at helping each other out. You are likely to know many other founders, advisers, perhaps even investors or board members, and collectively, they will have a whole wealth of experience in different job types. Chances are they may have been involved in recruiting for similar roles or will know someone who has been hired for this role or who is already doing a similar role and can help out with the interview process. Ask them for their advice, experience and use their knowledge and tips to shape your job description.
We have highlighted previously that LinkedIn can be a wonderful platform for networking, as long as your profile is well optimised. If that is the case, and, if you use LinkedIn regularly, you will most probably have a strong network of real-life and online connections and friends that are willing to pass on advice. Ask them either directly via a message, or perhaps collectively via an open post for all to see, and you might be pleasantly surprised at how much great advice and support you receive back.
3 Assemble your interview team
At the interview stage, it would be ideal to have someone on the interview panel who has been involved in hiring for this role in the past, or even perhaps someone who has undertaken a similar role previously.
Involving a fellow co-founder or a buddy with relevant job-role experience into the hiring process, be that to interview for the skill sets required, or to set a specific test that candidates must undertake, can be a great way of verifying the skill set of potential employees so that you hire the right person.
4 Remain focused on cultural fit
When recruiting for a new position for the first time, it is easy to forget that you still need to remain focused on the cultural fit of the whole team. Whether your team is part-office based and part-remote or you are all working away in that fab, a new startup focused co-working space, you will still need to consider whether your new recruit will fit into the working culture that you and the team have created. They may have the right skill set according to any tasks set, but will they fit with the team.
5 Finally, work with a specialist recruitment agency
TableCrowd Talent is a startup focused recruitment agency based in London specialising in jobs in marketing, sales, data science, operations, design, product development, through to C-level executives for tech startups and scaleups. We've worked in the startup world for a long time - and as a team whose combined startup experience spans for decades, we know it well.
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