Entrepreneur Resources Your source for small business information
So you’re an entrepreneur. You’ve made a business for yourself based solely on your skill, tenacity and ambition. That’s pretty impressive. The thing with most entrepreneurial businesses is that they grow – sometimes fast. They very quickly need to take on employees as they go from one or two people running a startup to full teams managing a successful company.
But as an entrepreneur do you know how to hire people for your company? Your selection criteria are more than likely going to be very different from that of a traditional employer, do you even know what your selection criteria are? If you’re not a traditional company you probably need to approach your recruitment in a less traditional way in order to find the best candidates, which probably means considering more than just a candidate’s experience and their CV writing skills.
Changing The Conditions Of The Test
The hiring process can be a challenge for any business, but for recruiting entrepreneurs at a critical point in the life of your startup, there’s even more riding on getting the right people for your team. So how do you approach it in a way that’s going to help you find the personalities that will fuel your business growth, not stifle it?
If you’re looking for people that offer something different, then you need to look for them differently. We’re talking about keeping an open mind during the recruitment process and looking for those moments when you can identify potential kindred spirits. Think about your experience, what you’ve achieved and how that would read on a CV – the chances are it would be a little different to anyone with steady progress up the corporate ladder.
Entrepreneurs are just wired differently, it’s a fact, and the businesses they start tend to operate differently too – so try and look for people who display a similar mentality, passion, confidence and all the other traits you bring to your business. And don’t forget also about psychometric tests such as the Hogan Personality Inventory test, which can help you to identify if the candidate meets your needs. These tests help to understand the bright and dark sides of an individual’s personality, candidate’s behavioral traits, and patterns, etc.
Looking at CV’s Differently
When you receive that first batch of responses for your job advert, you need to take a look at CV’s differently if you’re focused on hiring that perfect person for your company. Traditional employers might look for things like which university candidates went to, do they have experience doing the same job and do they come across as reliable and ‘steady’. Depending on the kind of startup you’re running looking for these characteristics might mean you end up with someone who doesn’t’ fit in or isn’t going to help move things forward as much as you’d like. Instead, look for the information that gives you a real insight into the kind of person they are, and the kind of team member they might be.
Did they drop out of college to start working instead? Do they like extreme sports or have any other interesting hobbies? Did they take 6 months out to self-fund their solo travel across South America? These are all the little things that tell you something about the individual’s personality, the kind of information which will help you understand what they could offer your business.
Many employers might glance over these snippets of non-work related info, or maybe even consider them negatives that would rule someone out. But these will be valuable insights for the entrepreneur who is looking to hire someone who offers something different to the norm, someone who shares the same ideals and characteristics as they do.
You’ve broken away from the conventional world of work and created your ideal role instead of applying for it – so it makes sense that you’re going to work well with people who have a similar outlook on their ‘career’. Keep an open mind when you’re looking through an applicant’s CV and look for the nuggets of information that might just let you know that you’ve found them.
So true! Entrepreneurship definitely requires a different hiring process, you have to look at the details in the CV that are not openly spelt out. This are my views too when hiring say an interior decorator, their fashion style will make one hire them or not.
Modern selection approaches can vary with hiring nowadays. I think sometimes we’re using the modern hiring process and we’re using the new recruitment approach as well. HR manager knows about this one better because the latest recruitment methods are also being embraced.
As you go through your career and working like you will gain new qualifications and skills, it’s therefore important that you keep your resume updated. Modify it accordingly by adding any new skills or qualifications that you have gained. This way it will give a modern overview of your achievements.
They have experience in maximising shoe-string budgets to achieve the biggest possible impact. Solutions to business set-backs are devised from a place of resourcefulness and ingenuity—traits valued by any business looking to stand out from its competitors.
“Often there are interesting stories to tell, which candidates can tell you about at interview.” Whatever the role, employers need employees with basic attributes such as reliability, flexibility, and a desire to fit in and succeed – so you should look for proof of these when assessing CVs.
This is very relevant information. Will surely keep in mind while processing any resume for the shortlisting
so truly. Its all depends upon recruiter how he look your CV. And your blog show approximately all kind of thinking of recruiter. Thanks for sharing these kind of information with us.
Great article, thanks so much for putting this out for entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs must look out for cultural fit before hiring.
Great article, thanks for sharing this to entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs must look out for cultural fit before hiring and follow their gut.