The Three Rules of Great Start-up Recruitment

The pandemic caused massive job losses and disruption, but it also brought new business opportunities. If you are a start-up owner, the following points will kick-start your recruitment drive and show what you need to hire the best.

1. Always go for specialist talent.

Building a successful start-up is an arduous journey. Firstly, as a start-up founder, you need to realise that attracting specialist talent in very specific job roles is critical to make the business work and survive the first tough years.

Hiring specialist talent can be a problem for entrepreneurs who do not have an extensive network or are limited in reaching qualified prospects due to a specialist roles shortage. For example, in South Africa, local expertise is pretty much scarce, depending on the industry. Competition is also fierce, even more so in difficult economic circumstances.

You shouldn’t take specialist recruitment lightly. If you’re growing a tech start-up, an IT specialist recruiter with knowledgeable industry experience can tap into a wide network of IT specialists and tech roles to find your perfect dream team. Speak to our Professional Sourcing consultants for specialist recruitment needs in various markets.

2. Start hiring from top to bottom.

You may think a start-up is too small to have a CEO or COO. However, recruiting for these roles is critical to ensure excellent leadership and company direction in new business ventures. These roles must be filled by absolute top professionals.

Start hiring for these essential, highly-skilled roles first. Identify all the key executive positions that can propel your start-up to success; consider this brief list of the ‘Big Five” of C-level management:

1. CEO – Chief Executive Officer/General Manager – fulfils the leadership role
2. COO – Chief Operating Officer/Operational Manager – manages operations and team workflow
3. CTO – Chief Technical Officer/Technical Manager – oversees all technical systems and processes
4. CFO – Chief Financial Officer/Financial Manager – instrumental in drawing a financial strategy to get funding from investors
5. CMO – Chief Marketing Officer/Marketing Manager – responsible for marketing strategies, client relations and communication

The above list is not, by any means, exhaustive. Any start-up will need employees to fulfil sales jobs, business development, project management or client support duties.

However, choosing the best talent in top executive roles will give your venture a great start and set an example for future employees. The Professional Sourcing team has extensive experience in executive placements to help with boardroom hire.

3. Think global recruitment expertise.

Talent acquisition for start-ups can extend beyond borders due to the need for specialisation and top industry skills, e.g. niche coding, data analytics, AI. You may want to expand the start-up to relevant overseas markets and capitalise on new targets.

Start-ups often leverage top talent by adopting a global hiring approach for permanent or contract positions whenever necessary, particularly if the product or service’s success depends on specific high-level technology or expertise not available locally. Admit that you may need help in fine-tuning talent acquisition to reflect your company’s vision and goals.

It’s vital to get recruitment right from the beginning; outsourcing hiring goes a long way in sourcing the ideal start-up team. You can rely on Professional Sourcing, a leading global recruitment partner with successful candidate placements in the Middle East and Africa.

Professional Sourcing can assist with the recruitment process during and after the pandemic. Visit prosourcing.co.za for more info.

Professional Sourcing can assist with the recruitment process during and after the pandemic. Our team has a strong reputation for recruitment expertise within our specialisation areas. Visit prosourcing.co.za for more info.

Professional Sourcing has a strong reputation for highly developed recruitment expertise within our specialisation areas. We develop strong long-term relationships with our loyal clients. Allow us to help you deal with your frustrations of a lengthy hiring process.

Professional Sourcing is a top-tier South African-based recruitment agency operating internationally, IPM accredited, LEVEL 2 BEE RATED and 51% Black Owned.