Start-up Recruitment : getting the right guy in.

Start-up Recruitment

How you must deal with recruiting in the very start and in in-coming years.

 I am not a follower of many things, but i always keep on seeking new learning's. With a zeal in me to have have mine own start-up and working previously in 2 start-ups i.e. Thinvent Technologies and Silverline Design Inc, and consulting Yuktix technologies, i have came across a small bit of experience in start-up recruitment which i want to share as recently i came across a telephonic call followed by a email conversation which make me feel , what the hell is this?

I don't want to mention the name of company as i understand what it means, but it was defiantly a bad attitude from their side. After a bit of emails and follow-up, i got a online test request which i wasn't able to take for 2 time and for the same, i had dropped them a apology mail. I was a bit curious as that was a start-up from my field of interest. The very next day, i got a call from their HR and he said that "Are you able to take the test because i have a long list of people in queue and i cannot wait". Well that sound a bit rude and absurd and following that i said, please carry on with the queue. May be i am wrong in showing attitude, but at the same time, what impression they had left on me, i cannot forgot. It was just like saying some one "Dude we are the one big start-up that is booming up and we don't give a shit for people like you", well that is welcomed and that show that you are a booming company and heading towards great height, but just think, with that attitude where are you heading towards? On LinkedIn i came across a great article "Don't fuck up the culture". That is a good article to read. Culture is one of the major part of any start-up and it is the thing that is going to help you out in the future. In my previous company, Saurabh Jain(Director/Founder) said "It is the culture prevailing here that make us different.". It might sound like i am a bit disturb with the way that start-up company treated me, so answer is "Yes" i am. But at the same point, it let me think, what will be the guidelines should i make during recruitment. 

Start-up recruitment is a long-time process. Some time it may decide the future of the company. If you get the right guys, you can achieve you aim with the common focused energy of your colleagues, but if not, you will end up splitting in too many broken parts. 

During my last meet-up visit, i heard from a start-up founder Mrs. Sugandha Dubey (www.Stockimagebank.com), that start-up hiring is  long and important process. You need to find the right guy and your search must continue till the time you find a time with synergy with you . 

So as per me , we must continue with the culture of company , till the very last end. I may not say that we must follow the same guidelines every-time, but yes, thing will revolve around these points and will change according to situation. 

1.  Refer the social networking web-sites like linkedIn and facebook.
2. Work out on the referals. 
3. Job portals are good source.
4. Initial conversation will be just like introducing your company and asking for the very next conversation .
5. Getting them for a telephonic interview, rather then a on-line test. It make people a bit absurd. 
6. Follow-up with their availability. No one around you is free and keep in mind that you are dealing with one of the probable employee of the company, who is always going to help out in your venture. 
7. If that guys meet your requirement , call for the next F-F round. 
8. Have technical round/management question round.
9. Set a threshold, if qualified, ok, if not, talk to him in person. Now the talking person may be head _HR(if any or founder itself, if they have time. Keep in mind, talent and employee acquisition is a important part. ) 
10. Personal conversation must be to find out the personal interest of the candidate in what you are doing, how much interested they are in your venture, how much they can give and what they expect in return.
11. Get the aggregation of points and find out if he qualifies or not. 
12. If he/she is missing by some points, neglect technical/management round and go withe personal interaction result. 
13. And the most important point is "Dont  make the guy feel that he is just another shit candidate for you, but he is a probable employee"

 It is what i feel for the recruitment. There are experts sitting around me, who can tell us better what need to be done, but some time, it's your personal interaction with the probable employee or employee which make him/her feel that it's the right company in which they want to work and they can put their enthu and commitment for the company. For me, my co-founders, my employee are the one who are running my start-up and if i can make them happy , i am very sure, they will take care of others things in a better way.