If you’re hiring or looking for a career change, then you know how difficult it is out there right now. It’s not easy to get your job posting noticed amidst all the noise, and finding the right candidate has become a herculean feat.
If you’re lucky enough to find the right person, the work doesn’t stop there because retaining that talent has also never been so hard. With endless opportunities beginning to pop up, how can you stand out?
Our panel of experts gave us the inside scoop in our most recent monthly #SaaSChats all about Attracting + Retaining Talent for your startup.
Meet the panel:
- Allan Wille – Co-Founder + CEO, Klipfolio
- Brock Murray – Co-Founder, seoplus+
- Simon Wessels – People Operations Manager, Optimity
- Lisa Henderson – Owner + Designer, House of Three
- Kelsey Mayo – Manager, Executive Search, Keynote Search
- Gilson Torii – Co-Founder & Growth, Nugget.ai
- Pat White – Managing Director, L-SPARK
We’ll recap the questions below! Follow the link on each question to be taken over to Twitter to get the full thread of responses, we promise you it’s worth the read.
Here are some highlights:
A1. When making your first hire(s) as a startup, three things your road map should cover include: chief business objectives, KPIs and permission to play. #SaaSChats
— Brock Murray (@SEOBrock) August 31, 2021
(A2) Look at the technical skills of the founding team to see where their ‘gaps’ are. As your company begins to grow, you want to bring on team members that have complimentary experience where others’ are lacking. #SaasChats
— KEYNOTE SEARCH (@KeynoteGroup) August 31, 2021
A2: Most important first hires > Early hires need to be broad in their skill set, have lots of energy and perseverance. The most important early hires will fill gaps in the founding team, but always have a seat at the table. #SaaSChats
— Allan Wille (@awille) August 31, 2021
A3. 🤔For how long do you need it? how important/vital is this? how difficult would it be to relay the work? and what’s the fastest/easiest way to get the results? These questions are good starting points to figure it out, plus the element of paying/finding talent #SaaSChats
— GilsonTorii (@GilsonTorii) August 31, 2021
A4 – Word of mouth, particularly from our existing staff, hands down. We have tried it all, from boosted ads on Facebook, Indeed and LinkedIn, reaching out to people on Indeed and LinkedIn with the right qualifications, social media posts, and more #SaasChats
— Lisa Henderson (@LisaHenderson00) August 31, 2021
A5: Continuing to challenge them through development, enriching their role, and ensuring they continue to see the meaning in their work as the company grows/changes. Consistent feedback is also very important. I recommend starting to do 1-1’s asap #SaaSChats
— Simon Wessels (@simon_wessels) August 31, 2021
A6. Goal is that once onboarding is done, they should feel part of the team, know what is expected of them, and have access to the people, tools and resources to start producing. Seems simple and obvious but it’s not at all. Keep those in mind and dedicate time to it! #SaaSChats
— GilsonTorii (@GilsonTorii) August 31, 2021
(A7) 100%. Without F2F communication on a regular basis, you miss out on the desk side engagement that helps employees to learn the nuances of the business in a very organic and in my opinion, quicker manner. #SaaSChats
— KEYNOTE SEARCH (@KeynoteGroup) August 31, 2021
A8 – Right now, flexibility. The pandemic has made some of the most basic things we previously took for granted more difficult, such as childcare and medical appointments. Being flexible with work hours for my staff is the best thing I can offer them right now. #SaasChats
— Lisa Henderson (@LisaHenderson00) August 31, 2021
A9. Culture, in my opinion, is your company’s personality. It’s a combination of your company’s mission, values and how they are lived out by the team. Be intentional in building your culture as it’s one of the most important aspects of building a successful business. #SaaSChats
— Brock Murray (@SEOBrock) August 31, 2021
A9: What does culture mean > Culture defines who we are and how we work. Along with our values and the company mission they are fundamental to success. So important. #SaaSChats
— Allan Wille (@awille) August 31, 2021
