5 Things To Consider Before Your First Hire

Are you ready to start a team?

So, your dream is coming true: your million-dollar-idea has been raising funds and you’re thinking on taking this to the next level and launching your own start-up. This is even happening sooner than you imagined; but what’s the next step? You don’t have experience as a CEO/Manager/HR executive, so, what should you do?

We present to you 5 key elements to consider before hiring your first employee at your startup:

1. Be ready to delegate and give credit
   One of the many advantages of having at least one employee is the opportunity to share responsibilities and cover more work. You will need to be mentally ready for this in order to share your support. People who are just starting their own business could fall into the mistake of micromanaging their employees, which will ruin their desire to collaborate and think in different solutions (which would help you ancticipate problems).
   Remember to spend more time in the hiring process to get the best people that don’t need supervision. Once you surround yourself with the right people, let them know when they’re getting good results and ask for their opinions on how to constantly improve work efficency.
2. Do you need to hire somebody to do that?
   Sometimes, Startup CEO’s believe that hiring people will just take some work off their shoulders without even analyzing if it’s something that either could wait, they could do on their own, or even that could be outsourced.
   Outsourcing has different benefits, such as cost reduction, working with experts, working by projects, and having guarantees for results. A lot of companies use this option so their efforts stay focused on their business core. This is why it’s common to see outsourced jobs such as cleaning personnel, security guards, etc. Be sure to analyze throughly to avoid having costs increased before time and/or to avoid having to lay someone off due to lack of payment capability.
3. Hire people that follow dreams, not your orders
   Give them the right reasons to stick around. People are social species, so we respond better when there’s a common goal in place rather than just the “threat” of following command.
   If you’re only starting to make your dream come true through your startup, you need to be able to share that passion and your dreams with the people that you hire. Passion can go a long way in the business world, even more when your employees watch you walking that extra mile.
   It is more likely that people who are there for a dream instead of just a job will stay in your company for longer, question your orders if they believe it’s better for everyone, bring different insights and ideas to the table, make a better company culture, and most importantly, give customers a better experience. This is not only the kind of people you need when getting started, but also the people that you need to have near at all times.
4. Hire potential and attitude
   It’s just as important to hire the right people, as it is to avoid the wrong people. When you’re starting your own company, it’s a good idea to hire someone who is experienced in the field you’re hiring, but it’s even more important to hire someone that can grow with your business and commit to a bigger goal.
   In a previous article, we wrote about the importance of having a skillset of abilities in today’s economy which is becoming increasingly scarce. Not only are businesses changing in a way that schools haven’t dealt with to prepare their alumni, but also, the evolution in society (and rapid changes in technology/communication) are starting to have an effect in the way we get along and the abilities we develop (or that we don’t). This is why a lot of companies struggle to find qualified personnel that can really be change agents. Not only do they need the preparation, but also the soft skills to move around in the business world and get things done.
   Be sure to consider people that are eager to keep learning and that show great consideration towards teamwork as well as with clients. These people will make the best employees on the long run and will support a better and healthier company culture.
5. Design an onboarding process
   There are no second opportunities for first impressions. This will be the first contact you will have with your new hire and one that will stablish the relationship as well as give him/her an overview of the company.
   Having a well thought onboarding process will help establish your new hire’s goals, what to learn during the first months or even first year, give them the information needed to get started, and make them fall in love with the company. Remember to really make them part of the team from day one.
   Companies with better onboarding processes have less turnover rate with employees. Around 69% of employees are more likely to stay with their places of employment for at least three years after a great onboarding experience . This tells you a lot of how first impressions go hand in hand with planning and strategy in the workplace.

Bonus: Remember your employees depend on you
As a bonus element, I think it’s necessary to comment about the importance of realizing that employees depend (at least economically) on you as their boss. Without sufficient planning or resources, you might end up having to lay off employees to save the company at the expense of taking away someone’s source of income and carreer estability.
I encourage you to fully go through a business plan that considers this into account to avoid making these kinds of mistakes.

Remember before making your first hire to consider these 5 key elements to prepare your startup to succeed and make your employees succeed with it. These considerations will help you have better planning and will make your employees feel more at home.