It was David Packard, the late co-founder of HP who said that “a group of people gets together and exists as an institution we refer to as a company in order to establish something they weren’t able to separately”.
So how do you gather a group of like-minded individuals to join you in on an exciting new project?
Engaging employees is both art and science. Connecting the dots between the goals of your startup and individual roles is not as simple as it was once in a coloring book.
It takes time and experience; for now, to help you engage your very first team, we are ready to share a few tips on how to attract trustworthy and reliable company for a startup company.
Make an enticing presentation at a job interview
When recruiting top talent for a startup, we witness a shift in roles: it is not the candidates that have to sell themselves at an interview; it is the company that has to presents itself in the best possible light to a promising candidate.
Begin your pitch with what sets your company aside from the sea of similar others in your industry and why they should join you instead of one of your competitors. Provide them with basic and straightforward information on what your product or service is and how it fits the current marketplace. Be careful not to go into too many details – 20 minutes is more than enough time to get the person interested, but not overwhelmed and ultimately bored with the presentation. In the end, prepare yourself for the possible follow-up questions – nothing worse than an “opportunist” with the lack of vision and confidence in its own creation.
Since the above mentioned presentation techniques are not only useful when interviewing potential employees, but when pitching the idea to investors as well, it would be a smart move to take up presentation skills training in Sydney to enrich your knowledge on how to create visually appealing and engaging presentations that will help you grab and retain the attention of your audience.
Give them the opportunity to contribute
Did you know there are Google employees complaining about their job? Seems ridiculous, doesn’t it?
But the fact is, when you’re working at a company of that size, though you enjoy career security, high salary and a number of other benefits, such position comes with mean corporate ladders and narrowly focused job descriptions. Those ambitious employees who are looking to leave their footprint in the world are never satisfied with such company roles.
When you communicate your startup mission with potential candidates, ensure you explain to them in which ways they will be able to contribute and how they will build their distinct roles in the company. Discuss what their team might look like somewhere down the road, or what skills they might utilize to accomplish their individual, as well as company goals.
Offer them financial benefits
In the beginning, you will hardly be able to offer your employees competitive salaries; instead, you can give them a chance to become stock holders. Basically, this means they will own a portion of a company, and the more money a startup makes, the more they will earn as well.
Even though you might not be able to promise them a Facebook-like story where over 100 employees became millionaires overnight, stocks will keep the dream alive – and this dream is what will keep them heavily invested in your startup.
Convince them the startup will be a success
Certainly, you can offer them unique perks and benefits, but no talented employee will agree to join the startup that lacks potential. The fact is, 90% of startups fail, and people need proof yours will be in those 10% that achieve stellar success. Present them with an achievable 2-to-5-year goal, a clear plan for the future and point out concrete opportunities for growth. In other words, show them where the business is going and what their role is going to be on that path to success.
The bottom line is top talent will never fall for a pipe dream. They need something tangible; they need to be convinced that not only there is going to be a room for a company to grow, but that they are going to get a chance to grow with your company, as well.
Dan Radak is a marketing professional with eleven years of experience. He is a coauthor on several websites and regular contributor to BizzMark Blog. Currently, he is working with a number of companies in the field of digital marketing, closely collaborating with a couple of e-commerce companies.
