When you’re launching a startup it’s unlikely that your first thought is to hire an executive recruiter.
You’re probably just focused on gaining traction and getting off the ground, and hiring someone dedicated to finding and recruiting talent to your startup is the last thing on your mind.I mean, shouldn’t you be able to do that yourself?
The answer is no. And that’s a big no.
Neglecting to invest in an executive recruiter is one of the biggest mistakes you can make as a startup CEO, because your founding staff creates the foundation for your company and ultimately makes or breaks your success.
You need a professional on your team who can handle getting you the right talent so that your startup can become a full-fledged, successful, money-making business.
Here’s why:
1. When you’re building a business, your team dictates your growth.
In a Fortune 1000 company, it’s pretty easy for employees to hide behind their titles and just do the minimum that’s required, and certain roles aren’t actually critical to the entire organization’s success. With startups, every single person has to be a top performer.
You can’t afford to make judgment errors when it comes to hiring – youmusthire A++ players who have the skills, vision, stamina, and drive to deliver fast results with little resources in a fast-paced, challenging environment.
2. Those A++ players won’t necessarily pursue your company.
Why? Because you’re just getting started, and the best people want to work at the most successful companies.
Even if you have massive potential, a superstar performer is likely to be hesitant to give up their role at a company experiencing high growth to join your startup.
You can talk about potential growth all day, but top performers need to see it to believe it – or need some other incentive or guarantee.
An executive recruiter can come in and paint the exact big-picture benefits in store for the best talent.
Top candidates trust executive recruiters because they know the market and the types of career moves that can be game-changing for someone. Also, they can usually predict a startup’s success based on experience. To get your dream team’s attention, you need an executive recruiter to 1) approach, in a strategic manner, the key players in the market with the proven track record your business needs, and 2) to inspire them to make a move.
3. Startups need specific team members with proven track records for getting the job done.
You need people who have proven they can successfully hit your goals. This isn’t something you can easily find on LinkedIn or by sifting through resumes.
You need someone who has networked like crazy – and formed rock- solid relationships – to find talent who has done the job before and can do it again.
Don’t be fooled by talent that happened to be in the right place at the right time, working for a company that became an overnight success.
Find out what – if any – specific ways they were involved in that success – or if it was just serendipity.
To put together a team that will catapult your company, you need to know exactly who drove the success of similar organizations who are killing it – and this takes a lot of work and due diligence you probably don’t have time for as a startup CEO.
The solution? Get an executive recruiter on your side.
4. The talent you REALLY want, are not looking for a job.
It takes a real pro in the recruiting space to lure this talent and on-board them to your startup.
There are a lot of intricate details that go into finding great talent and getting them to make an unexpected move, and many things can botch it. Leave it to the professionals to make it happen for you.
5. You’re not known yet.
Since top performers don’t know your brand, they’re far less likely to want to work with you.
If Google posts an open job, they’re going to get tens-of-thousands of applications. That just doesn’t happen when you’re a new startup with little name recognition.
As we discussed in #1, your hiring needs are more critical than those of established companies, because you’re laying the foundation for your success, whereas the Fortune 1000 companies already have a well-oiled system.
In particular, at the Director level and above, it’s crucial to have an expert on board in finding you the best talent.
The bottom line?
As a new company, you need a trusted third party to tell your story and essentially sell you and your organization.
Often, since you’re so close to your business, you don’t know how to sell it as a company people should want to work for – and that’s okay.
It’s a headhunter’s job to tell your brilliant story and position the opportunity to attract the best of the best.
Bonus?
Prospective candidates don’t have the option to misjudge the opportunity before hearing about it, because when an executive recruiter is calling on talent, the talent doesn’t know what company is being represented.
When a founder, corporate recruiter, or employee of an organization reaches out, the prospective candidate is already making assumptions – many of which aren’t accurate.
Recruiters have the chance to authentically share your story and entice the best talent without giving them the chance to form preconceived notions about what your startup is and isn’t.
To recap, you need an executive recruiter to make your startup successful because they have access to the best talent – and know exactly how to deliver them to you.When you’re building a business, your team dictates your success, and they won’t necessarily come to you, because the talent you want most is not seeking to leave a position they are doing well in.Next, you need specific people with proven track records to guarantee you make it as a business, and using an executive recruiter is the most effective way to get them on board in a timely manner.Finally, since you’re still relatively unknown, you need an expert to tell and sell your story to top-tier potential candidates.
Are you a startup CEO? What’s your biggest challenge when it comes to hiring?
