Success Champions
Attracting Top Talent For Your Start Up
By: Katherine McCord
Put hard and unique skills specific to your position at the top of the list and soft skills and generic criteria, further down.”
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iring, like sales, is all about knowing your audience, how to find them, and how to approach them. Locating talent for a start-up or smaller organization is particularly challenging as the positions often incorporate several roles and the companies rarely offer benefits that can compete with their larger counterparts. The good news is, however, that the right people are out there, and with a little know-how, you can attract top-end talent that will bring innovation and revenue into your business! First things first. Hiring is your priority. Without people, you wouldn’t have a company. Treat this process accordingly. Otherwise, you will miss out. Start with designing a compensation structure.
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“TBD” is unprofessional and unappealing to candidates. Don’t go there. Review your budget, the market rates, and your needs. Put together a package that makes sense and will draw in top tier talent.
Building a compelling and unique job description comes next. Do not copy/paste something that you find online. This is the candidate’s introduction to your organization, your pitch if you will. Be original and creative. They should get a sense of who you are from the role description. Begin by communicating who you are as a company. Describe the environment, services, and company goals in a single paragraph. Before starting into the description of duties, picture a day in the life of this person. Be specific; and place the most important responsibilities at the top of the list. Then come the requirements. Remember, years of experience are irrelevant. What you are looking for is expertise. Put hard and unique skills specific to your position at the top of the list and soft skills and generic criteria, such as background requirements, further down. Don’t forget compensation! Many candidates will skip over a listing that is missing full compensation details such as: salary range, bonus or commission structure, PTO, and benefits. So, now you have your description ready. You will want to post it to a reputable job board, I recommend Indeed, but… that’s not how you find your best candidates! That’s right, posting a job only gets you the attention of about 50% of the available candidates, and none of the hidden talent. Professionals at the top of their game often wait to be poached from their current role. They like being pursued, and this is where it gets fun! For a lower level role, use Facebook Groups and their free job postings, ask around your network, and use the Indeed resume database. For
