5 Ways to Find the Right Candidates for Your Startup

Creating the perfect A-team is hard. However, it will improve your business or your department tremendously.

If you are hiring for your team (or looking to work at a startup), then this article will show you the hiring practices that work well for a number of startups.

New ideas for hiring at startups

Build your brand – A great way to get top candidates to come work for you is to be a company that people like. If you spend time developing the reputation of your company it will help to attract talent. You should promote you job description to your followers, whether through your email list, or social media. People who engage with you on a regular basis are great candidates since they already follow you.

Promote the job with the help of influencers – If you actively engage with influencers in your field then they might be willing to promote that you’re searching for talent to their audience. One example I came across was on a popular podcast where I heard them mention particular companies looking for new talented people. This was great free advertising and endorsement for the hiring company.

Put Easter eggs in the job description – If you quickly want to reduce the number of job applications you will have to review, then throw a few Easter egg in to the job description. Give specific instructions to the applicants – it could be as easy as making the subject line very specific. Those who follow the hidden instructions will have demonstrated that they have carefully read through the opportunity, and are not rapidly or arbitrarily applying for every job under the Sun without proper consideration.

Leverage technology for screening candidates – Many startups these days use Skype to conduct video interviews before they invite someone in for an in-person interview. It saves time and is more personal than a phone call. If you are a candidate going on a Skype interview, make sure you prepare for it just as if you would be going in for an in-person interview. In addition to being in a quiet space, check your Internet connection and shut off any unnecessary applications running on your computer that might interfere with the quality of the call.

Always do a test project – Even when you find the perfect candidate, make sure to test out their skills by giving them a short-term project before bringing them on full time. What I have seen some companies do is to give the same small project to multiple candidates at the same time and then pick the best one.

Hopefully these tips gave you insights into how some startups are hiring these days. Yes, some of these are more time intensive if you’re a job seeker; however, they also make sure that there is the right fit between the employer and the applicant.