How to Build a Startup Team?

Before building a team

In order to make a good plan on team building and take proper actions, ask yourself the following questions:

What are you good at & what do you lack?

Before evaluating others, it`s crucial to understand your own skills and abilities. Think of what you`re good at and identify areas you need help the most. Assess your soft and hard skills. This way, you will define what kind of specialists you can hire on your own and which ones might require intermediaries such as HR-agencies. In addition, it helps you prioritize specialists and see who you need first.

What kind of personality do you have?

Any company starts with a personal brand. Determine what values and traits you personally possess to look for them in candidates and set up a like-minded team. It`s important that you could get along with your team. Besides, identify your weak points that might prevent your from hiring brilliant specialists. If you are not good at negotiating, it`s better to delegate it to someone more professional.

What are your goal and vision?

A shared goal and vision also contribute to a successful image of your startup. Beforehand, set goals and views you stick to in order to recruit people with similar ones. It`s essential your entire team moves in the same direction. However, it`s you who set this direction so ensure you have a clear picture of what you want to achieve.

Where to search for employees?

Web-studio

This is an ideal solution for quickly launching a project, whether it's an online store, landing page, or promo page. Particularly, web-studios are a great choice for those who want to start up a business without vast experience or knowledge.

All you need to do is to come up with an idea, pay, and get a ready-made project. Before addressing a web-studio, look through its ratings and portfolio and read reviews from customers. See if its values and principles comply with your startup`s. After you pick a web-studio, provide a detailed project plan, its canvas, and desired results.

Pros:

• you can implement a project without experience and skills;
• the possibility to combine the main work and project tasks;
• communication with a personal product manager who is responsible for deadlines, edits, and results;

Cons:

• customer-performer relations, no teamwork;
• necessary maintenance after launch;
• product development limitations;
• typical solutions and structure.

HR-agency

They is an intermediary in the labor market, an organization that provides services to employers in the search and selection of personnel and helps job seekers to bring them together.

If you are an unknown employer, applicants will treat you with certain distrust and even apprehension. In order to increase your credibility, you can contact an HR agency that will be your representative. The agency independently selects candidates according to your criteria, conducts an initial interview, forms a professional and psychological portrait of the applicant. As long as they approve the candidate, they recommend them for a second interview personally with you.

Typically, the agency charges you a commission in the amount of 2-6 salaries depending on the qualifications of a candidate.

Pros:

• boosting your startup`s credibility;
• professional methods of staff selection;
• verified databases of applicants.

Cons:

• costly services;
• high expectations;
• the lack of resume self-selection.

HR-agents

They act similarly to HR-agencies. However, unlike them, HR-agents have more democratic prices. On average, an agent takes a commission in the amount of 1-2 salaries of a successful candidate. Though often the agent's capabilities are more limited than the agency`s.

An HR agent is a good solution for those who are willing to pay for the initial selection of candidates, resume processing, dropout, and conducting the first interview. Make sure to give clear requirements for candidates concerned not only professional skills but also their values, and psychological portrait.

Pros:

• practical experience in hiring;
• conducting an initial interview;
• professional skills in the selection of candidates.

Cons:

• unrepresentative range of candidates;
• risks of misunderstanding.

Search on your own

This is the most effective and yet difficult option. If you don`t trust any intermediaries or want to save money, it`s better to look for employees by yourself. Take advantage of your connections and acquaintances. You can find also find valuable candidates on different websites with advertisements.

However, they may be not reliable enough so make sure to verify the information twice. By the way, on Idea Factory you can find a lot of like-minded people who could become part of your team. Just go to our chat and feel free to make a request for any specialist you need.

Pros:

• improving skills in recruitment;
• control of time and expenses;
• independent decision-making.

Cons:

• low credibility of applicants;
• takes much time and requires specific talents;
• high cost of error.

What specialists do you need?

Sales & Marketing

Their main responsibility is active work and promotion of goods or services. Since the business is interested in expanding the sales market, salespeople are aimed at supporting existing customers and finding new ones. Such specialists arrange calls, meetings, offers, negotiations, signing of contracts and coordinate the volume of deliveries.

Both sales and marketing managers should know the market well and be able to forecast its needs. If they have an understanding of what your product should look like to meet people`wants, your startup is bound to take off.

A sales or marketing specialist should easily make contact with a person and be able to understand customers`needs. Along with a product, your company should provide positive emotions and pleasant experience so that clients want to return.

Essential qualities:

• communication and listening skills;
• sagacity;
• creative and analytical thinking;
• problem solving;
• open-mindness.

IT & Support

IT specialists can help in numerous business aspects such as product development, launch, and promotion. They provide your website, program, or application with necessary functions and make them work.

In terms of hard skills, backend developers should know server-side programming languages like PHP, Python, Ruby or Java, and be able to work with MySQL, Mongo DB or PostgreSQL databases. Knowing basics of UI/UX design, adaptive layout, cross-browser, and cross-platform will be a great advantage. However, the requirements still depend what your startup particularly needs.

Essential qualities:

• reasonable thinking;
• great concentration and imagination;
• responsibility;
• curiosity;
• teamwork skills.

Finance & Accounting

Financial analysts monitor economic changes and trends and make forecasts of how economic processes may affect the company. They also assess the risks and prospects of investments, identify inefficiencies of expenditure, and look for ways to save money or invest them more wisely.

In the field of production and sale of goods or services, a financial analyst helps to form an assortment. When it comes to investments, they evaluate the prospects of certain currencies and securities and predict the investment projects`return. In case of an economic crisis, a financial analyst can work out measures to avoid large losses or even bankruptcy.

Essential qualities:

• higher education;
• English language proficiency;
• stress resistance;
• analytical and leader skills;
• problem-solving.

Human Resources

Its structure depends on the size and specifics of the activities of a particular organization. For example, small companies with few employees often don`t even have to build a separate HR-department. However, if you do find it necessary, hire sociable and insightful specialists who can read people. Apart from hiring candidates, an HR-manager is entrusted with the accounting of working hours, scheduling, development of job descriptions, and local regulations.

Essential qualities:

• high competence;
• responsibility;
• attentiveness;
• planning and self-organization skills;
• high communication skills.

Recommendations on recruitment

Plan your budget

First and foremost is to estimate the budget you can allocate for hiring and keeping employees. Calculate the optimal salaries or wages that won`t be too burdening for your startup. Include possible bonuses and rewards to attract and motivate your team.

Establish a favourable company culture

Innovative people need innovative conditions. Make sure your startup culture is favorable for brilliant specialists. Set basic corporate ethics, rules, and values your employees should follow. At the same time, your brand should be open to changes and new minds in order to build a dream team.

Have a concrete hiring plan

Before employing people, make a step-by-step strategy. Define where you will place your ad, what positions you need the most, and whether or not you will address intermediaries. Plan your interaction with candidates, whether you will do it directly or through HR-agencies. Prepare specific tasks and tests for candidates.

Hire skilled and experienced developers

The core of your team should be knowledgeable and competent enough as they will define the success of your project. Entrust only qualified people with strategic tasks. Although some positions don`t require higher education, they still need great innovativeness and enthusiasm.

Never neglect soft skills

While many founders pay much attention to hard skills and qualifications of candidates, soft skills shouldn`t be ignored. Depending on the position, soft skills can be even more important rather than hard ones. See if your applicants can communicate effectively and think reasonably. This will create the image of your startup.

Look for passion, energy and complementary skills

While some candidates may lack sufficient knowledge, they can compensate it with overwhelming commitment and enthusiasm which is not less important. Sometimes, it`s worth hiring candidates with great energy to those who possess greater qualifications but lack passion. By surrounding yourself with people who are truly obsessed with what they`re doing, you will see how far your business can go.