The world of start-ups is endlessly exciting. From an energetic work culture to accelerating growth, the potential of start-ups is endless.
According to CB Insights, 70 per cent of upstart tech businesses fail, usually about 20 months after the first round of fundraising. Among the many reasons, 23% of start-ups cited an inadequate team as a causative factor to their failure. Start-ups are notorious for being poor at retaining their staff, with most employees leaving within a year or so. That is unsurprising. Most start-ups are working with limited cash flow, limited time, and a limited amount of built-in hiring expertise. With these problems on hand, start-ups need to find the best team possible to accelerate their growth. Here are the top reasons why start-ups can benefit from using recruitment firms to build and consolidate their expanding team.
1. Domain Expertise
Always work with a specialist recruiter. That is what many top-level managers would tell you. A specialist would possess a great depth of knowledge in their sector and have the inside scoop about other start-ups and different individuals. If you want to hire the best talent, you need to start by hiring the best recruiter in a particular speciality. Recruiters can also leverage their wide industry networks for your recruitment case and search for the best executive for your team.
2. Team Building
Recruitment specialists must be passionate about building the actual company and scaling the team. That means they need to care about everything from employer branding to the entire recruiting process, from the first touchpoint to close and through onboarding. They would have experience growing a start-up and finding the right person for your phase of growth.
3. Organizational Design
As your company expands, the structure and hierarchies must change to adapt to bigger operations. A recruitment specialist who understands reorganizations well can consult with your management on creating new structures and roles in anticipation of new demands in the future. Recruitment consultants also offer a neutral, objective touch as they are not involved in the company. This allows them to see the big picture and identify what the company needs quickly.
4. Phasing
As your start-up grows from a series-B and enters the series-C funding stage, the functions and demands of your company will change. Your board and other stakeholders may have new requests to have more experienced individuals playing different roles in the team. Different people of different skill sets and experience will be required to strengthen operations. For example, at a certain point in your growing company, an experienced CCO is usually required to ensure overall compliance in the company’s commercial strategy and development. Various specialists will also be required to monitor specific aspects of your project.
5. Cultural Match
Finding talent who is a good fit for your company is crucial for your start-up. A good recruiter would spend time understanding the culture and needs of the company before scoping out candidates with shared values of your company. In addition to that, the consultant would spend time with the founders and management of the startup to fully understand their need and mission before beginning the search to find talent that would fit into their company culture.
6. Team Compatibility
Building a strong team is key here. Your team may have an established culture and it is necessary to find a team member with the right personality and working style. A good recruiter would understand your company’s values and culture to find a future teammate who is compatible with the rest of your team. The recruiter should be able to assess talent for the domain that you are trying to fill, which may come from their previous employers, their networks, or both.
7. Recruitment seniority
Different people are needed for different phases of growth. As projects increase, your board and investors will require individuals with more experience to join the management. People of certain seniority and experiences will be required after your funding round to ensure stability and accountability in the next phase of your growth. Start-up founders may struggle at this point as they may lack connections to find an executive with considerable experience to join the management. This is where recruitment specialists come in: their broad connections and knowledge of the talent pool will guide the management in finding the right person for the growing team.
It is not uncommon in startups to have specialised or even existing HR functions in their operations. As a startup continues to grow in its small team, is it essential to have an external HR specialist to consult with and develop its HR functions such as recruitment and talent management for the company’s growth. After all, a company cannot grow without its talent.
Finding the right talent for your team is one of the most key aspects of growing your start-up. With increasing pressure and demands from new projects and the board, there cannot be any missteps in your recruitment process. Leaving the process to recruiters will also eliminate the need for your HR personnel and management to go through the tedious process of searching and interviewing the right talent for your start-up. Recruiters who specialize in start-ups in your industry will dedicate themselves to finding the right people for your organization, in addition to their knowledge of organizational design and connections.
At WeLinkTalent, we specialize in start-up recruitment! We can provide you with a recruitment plan and strategy according to the needs of your start-up. We have proven experience in expanding many start-up companies in Singapore and globally with our expertise in organisational design, phasing and team building when it comes to finding the right people for the phase of growth of your start-up. We partner with venture capital firms to understand your needs of balancing agility, seniority, and accelerating your start-up development. Contact us for more information.
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