There are lots of momentous steps when you’re building your startup - from your website going live to getting validation for your MVP. And hiring your first employee is another one of those - it’s a pretty big deal. After all, you and your co-founders (if you have them) have most probably been working alone, taking an idea or a concept and slowly building it into a tangible business.
Therefore, the decision to recruit for the first time and bring someone new on board is an important one. Whether you are finding it challenging to get everything that needs to be done, done if certain tasks are becoming much too time-consuming or you have identified a clear skills gap within the business, hiring someone to support you is key.
So if you are planning to do just that, here are 6 Top Tips for hiring your startup’s first employee…
1 Poor onboarding = poor first impression
If your new hire is going to work out, you'll need to do some advance planning and preparation for the transition period. Welcome them, be enthusiastic and engaging and ensure that they know how they're going to be an important part of your startup's development and growth. You'll need to dedicate time to their onboarding and ensure that you provide them with all the knowledge and training they'll need so they can properly hit the ground running.
From teaching them about the intricacies of your product or service or your particular way of doing things to sharing your startup's mission, values and long term strategy - it's all-important in order to give your new start a good first impression.
Make sure that you can articulate your solution and your vision clearly so your new hire completely gets what you are creating and is enthused about being a part of it. Working at a startup can also be a lot more exciting than being in a corporate role, so make sure that’s evident! You want your new start to realise that it’s not simply a job, but that it’s an opportunity for them to play an important part in building something new or innovative.
Also, don't forget to consider the fact that your own capacity to do work will be reduced somewhat whilst they are onboarded, so plan accordingly!
2 It’s not all about you - learn to let go
Admittedly it might be a tad difficult at the beginning and may take some time since you've been used to doing everything by yourself. However you'll need to make a concerted effort to let go - you can't continue to do it all.
You may think that nobody else could possibly work just as you can but if you're really going to build a successful startup, you're going to have to give them a chance. Learn how to delegate effectively and trust your new employee to get on with whatever tasks are required. It will all be worth it in the long run.
3 Don’t be a hoarder
Throughout your startup journey, you'll have been continually learning and developing your knowledge and you may not even be fully aware of all the knowledge you have acquired along the way. Day 1 may seem a very long time ago. It's important to remember though that your new start hasn't been on that same journey.
Don't make assumptions that they know what you do. Don't take things for granted and then get irritated when a task or piece of work isn't what you thought you had asked for. Instead, take time to explain things thoroughly and succinctly.
Don’t hoard stuff, share with your new employee what you've learned, highlight what's important and focus on the details. Encourage them to ask questions and embrace their curiosity and thirst for knowledge.
4 Build trust from day one
If your relationship with your new recruit is going to be successful, you'll need to ensure that the trust and respect is there from the off. Firstly trust your own decision making - after all, you've hired this employee, so have faith that you've made the right choice.
Show confidence in your new hire and their abilities as this will also help them to feel more confident. Don't only delegate the junior or less important tasks to them - all that will do is demotivate them. By trusting them with the bigger tasks from the early days, you'll not only be boosting their confidence and self-belief, you'll also be helping to build a mutually trusting and strong working relationship.
5 It’s about leading - not micromanaging
The way in which you communicate with your new hire can have a huge impact on whether or not they start their employment in a positive way. Be a leader - be open and clear both on what your expectations are and when assigning tasks to them, thereby making it much easier for both you and the employee to gauge how things are going. Show support and give guidance wherever necessary but don't start micromanaging and overseeing every single thing they do.
Remember too that the transition period when they are getting up to speed on things is also a period of learning for you. You will be learning more about your new recruit's skills and abilities - what they can do and how they work. Let them know that if they feel they can do more, they can tell you so and explain to them how and when you will give them feedback too.
6 Turn friction into something positive
You should also be conscious that during the transition period, there may be occasions when there will be friction, when you will disagree, perhaps due to a genuine misunderstanding or due to you doing something that you’re entirely unaware of, something unintentional, but which completely infuriates your new employee.
It’s important to remember that things like this can and do happen so you should plan for it. Agree on a process in advance for when these sorts of situations arise, explain to your employee from the outset how they should approach you, encourage them to come to you with any concerns, issues or suggestions. By making this open-door policy clear from the off, you will be building trust and helping to develop a strong foundation for your employee-manager relationship.
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Offering personalised, consultative service, at TableCrowd Talent we’re a specialist recruitment agency with our finger on the pulse of the startup and scaleup scene. We are committed to matching graduates, professionals and C-level executives to exciting startup and scaleup jobs across London, the UK and Europe.
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