When building a team in a startup business it is vital that you make the right hires, as every one is crucial and can impact your business. These are some of the hiring mistakes you should avoid as a startup.
It is natural to look for candidates like ourselves, but sometimes a different perspective is vital. Trying to find someone who fits into company culture but also provides a different perspective can be difficult, but it is important that when expanding your business you find a team that can drive your business forward in a different way to you.
Another mistake to make is hiring friends – something which may seem like a great idea when starting the recruitment process. While working with your friends may sound fun, hiring them without considering their skills or how they would fit into the company culture is a bad idea. Furthermore, existing dynamics between you will make it difficult to work together professionally, which will negatively impact on both your business and your friendship.
It is important to consider that you are unlikely to be able to find one person who can do every single task you cannot. By looking for an all-rounder, you are likely to find someone who is average at most things, but doesn’t have a particular skill. This runs the risk of making them obsolete as your company grows and more specialist staff begin to plug the gaps they leave. Thus, by investing in more specialist employees you can put more trust in their hands, as well as adding value to that aspect of your business.
Another mistake is desperately trying to fill roles as quickly as possible. While you may need someone to fill a role asap, hiring in a hurry will, in the long term, compromise the suitability or quality of your employees. Making rash decisions when hiring can be really risky for startups, so try to focus on the quality of the candidate over the possibility of easing your workload.
These are 4 hiring mistakes you should avoid as a startup, and focusing on hiring the best candidates you can is really important for supporting the growth of your business. If you are struggling with writing an effective job advert, check out our free guide.