The beginning of every year unleashes a frenetic rush of activity, from wrapping up performance reviews to finalizing budgets to starting on those plans for the quarters to come. Thankfully, the somewhat painful process of wrangling these inputs is worth the effort, as promotions, increased headcount and team building mandates are often just visible on the edge of the horizon.
But while many startup leaders are kickstarting these first few months with a refreshed focus on hiring, that tank full of shiny new year energy and enthusiasm often quickly runs out of gas. Newly promoted managers, old hats, and founders with fresh rounds of funding all eventually run into the same speed bump: hiring at early-stage startups is hard.
More specifically, it’s a time consuming, nose-to-tail process. As cold outreach emails fly out, applications pour in and onsite logistics multiply, the experience of running a hiring process quickly morphs from a side gig to a seemingly full-time endeavor that monopolizes attention and clogs inboxes. From crafting job descriptions and building balanced candidate pipelines to sifting through impactful interview questions and dialing up references, every step requires careful consideration — and presents plenty of opportunities for process to unravel and dream candidates to slip away.
It’s no surprise then that managers and founders are constantly on the hunt for hiring hacks to ease the load. To help out where we can, we’ve rounded up six must reads with thoughtful advice, intentional strategies and a smattering of unconventional tactics to present a package of practices for every stage of the hiring process.
Read on for wisdom from those who’ve beaten down the recruiting path and come out the other side with a fresh perspective. We hope you can draw inspiration from their habits as you tinker with your own hiring efforts and look to deepen your well of motivation for all the months that still lie ahead.
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