Your startup has achieved product-market-fit, your sales are increasing, and you have an urgent need to scale.
However, your biggest challenge is attracting talent. How, after all, can you attract the talent you need when you’re a relatively unknown employer?
Of course, scaling isn’t just about filling vacancies. It’s just as important to make sure you hire people who fit in with your company culturally, so you are more likely to retain them. Hiring, after all, is both time-consuming and costly. Making sure you make the right key hires is essential to the success of your business.
So, we’ve listed the top 3 ways to attract talent for scale-ups:
1. Talent attracts talent
It goes without saying really, but everyone wants to work with people they can learn from. This shouldn’t just refer to more senior talent – everyone has something to offer.
Don't compromise on what you need to make a hire quickly. Sometimes the best hires take more time than you'd like them to, but it can be worth the wait for the right people. Then, when your organisation is already made up of top talent, you’re sure to continue to attract the people you want to work with.
2. Competing for talent against established organisations
Startups are, inherently, creative environments. They’re risky ventures. They provide a playground for talent to create and explore. Startup culture should promote trial and error practices which give top talent the freedom to make mistakes and succeed.
Large companies, while providing safety and security, cannot offer this level of thrill for their employees. Startups are, as a result, the exciting option for talented innovators who want to be able to use their imagination, put their full skill set to the test and learn by doing.
3. Refine your culture and employer branding
A strong employer brand can mean talent comes to you, providing your business with the added value successful hires bring. As a result, your recruitment marketing should be an ongoing campaign, rather than occurring sporadically whenever you have a vacancy. Then, when you have live vacancies, you can scale up your campaign accordingly.
Ensuring your employer brand is healthy all year round can help you to build a talent pool. So, when a vacancy comes up, you can start shortlisting straight away.
There are benefits to being a scale-up looking to recruit. While you may not be the most well-known employer, it’s much better than being known for providing a negative experience.
So, create a positive experience early on and feel the benefits as you continue to grow. After all, there's a reason why in a candidate-driven market, some employers are still batting away the applications – they've created a culture everyone wants to work in and marketed it effectively.
