5 Tips To Attract Talent to Your Start-Up

Attracting talent to a start-up is never easy.

Unlike big corporations, resources are usually limited and the future uncertain. The advantages, however, are that a start-up gives space for people to create, to be independent and offers a greater sense of work satisfaction.

An article written by Issie Lapowsky, coupled with several experts’ opinions, contains insightful tips on how a start-up should go about attracting talents. For sharing and personal learning purposes, I have summarized Issie’s article as below.

1. Face-to-Face Interaction

“I’ve done a lot of placing people into positions, and I have never used a job board as a way to do that,” says Rich Sloan, co-founder of StartupNation. ‘Personal [interaction] is so much more powerful and important to me.”

Connecting with people face-to-face brings relationship to a higher level.  It allows you to observe what normally can’t be seen if you were to hire via online platforms. There are many ways to go about doing this:

Start at your local Chamber of Commerce, which should list information on industry events happening in your area. Don’t stop there, though. Research local industry groups and associations. “Every type of business has their own meetings,” says Martin Zwilling, founder and CEO of consulting group Startup Professionals. “You’ll find people who know your business and are looking for opportunities.”

Of course, if you have the time, you could create you own networking events. Meetup.com provides the perfect platform to help you get started.

2. Use the Internet Wisely

LinkedIn isn’t the only online platform that is good for professional networking. There are also other sites dedicated to matching qualified applicants with the right employers, including Startupers, VentureLoop and Startuply. You can even try InternshipIN to find people while they’re still in school.

When you register for these sites, ensure that your profile reflects the spirit of the company. It will help to attract the like-minded people who admire your company’s persona.

3. What to Look For

“There are certain kinds of people who thrive in an environment with the risk profile and anarchy of a start-up,” says Sloan. “Start-ups demand great working relationships. There can be no issues.”

Cultural fit is equally as important as what’s on a person’s resume. Zwilling recommends looking for people who are results-oriented, people who can tell you what exactly they’ve done in their careers. You need to know that people can produce when given that responsibility.