Let’s face it, startups don’t need HR in its early stages. Well, maybe they need HR, but they don’t usually have someone to do what HR does – help to recruit, hire and onboard new staff. Which leaves it to the founding members to do all of the above in between coding, marketing and raising capital.
When I was consulting for a small startup, one of the founders said to me that they didn’t need offer letters because they knew everyone they were hiring. And while I understood why he felt that way, I suggested it might be better to have the hiring and on-boarding documentation in place for when they needed to start hiring strangers.
Tech Cocktail has a great list of what to do and what to avoid when hiring your team. Here’s one.
Your startup may be near and dear to your heart, but that doesn’t mean you should only trust friends and former colleagues to help you get it off the ground. While a friend may fit your company culture, they may also expect to be treated differently than other employees. It’s important to focus on hiring the best person for both the job and the culture–you’ll risk hurting morale and productivity otherwise.
Startup Champ also points out a very basic, but very important, concept:
Starting a business is like building a house. It takes specific elements to make the house sturdy from the ground up. So too, it takes good people to make a business strong. Having the foundation of a great team should be your priority as a business owner. Many start-ups business leaders are faced with the same question. How can you know that the people you are considering for a place by your side are the right individuals for the job, and better yet, that they will fit well as part of your team?
Hiring is always a crapshoot. Sometimes the company hires a rock star, sometimes a dud. Sometimes that rock start wants to leave and the dud wants to stay. It’s a slippery business, but this generation of startups do have the benefit of those who came before.
Anyone remember Pets.com?
‘nuf said.
[Photo Credit: Techi]