One of the most important parts of creating a successful start-up company is finding the right people to work for you. Not only is it essential to find engineers with the proper skill set and level of experience you are looking for, but it’s also important to find quality people that fit the personality of the job and work environment.
At Austin Nichols Technical Search, we help our clients find the right engineers for their businesses. If you recently founded a start-up company and you’re looking for your next best employee, there are many things that you should take into consideration. Here are our key tips for how to hire the right engineering employees for your start-up company.
What Your Start-Up Company Should Know About Hiring Engineers
Engineering is a broad field that covers many different types of jobs and skills. People that work in engineering jobs may work in technical fields, manufacturing, and even construction. Because of this, engineers typically have a range of skills and experience, so it’s vital to match the right engineer with the right job.
Top-performing engineers are also highly sought-after by companies because of their extensive skill set and knowledge. If you’re looking to hire your first engineer, it may take more time than you initially planned to find the right one for your start-up company. Top talent is hard to find because it is in high demand; therefore, you may need to get a little creative to hire the best employees possible.
How to Recruit Engineers for Your Start-Up
Although finding the right engineer may be tricky, you can successfully hire for your start-up company if you’re looking in the right places and conducting interviews effectively. Here are some critical aspects of recruiting the right engineers so you can make the best decision about who to hire.
Look for Candidates with the Right Skills
Quality engineering candidates offer many different skills, including flexibility, adaptability, and experience working in their field. You should also look for engineers that offer a proactive approach in their work, a willingness to learn and master new skills, and multi-angle problem-solving skills.
Because you are also hiring for your start-up company, you will want candidates who are truly curious about your company’s job position. Engineers who are proactive and who offer a certain level of commitment to you and your business will make better employees down the road.
Use Personal Networks
When you first start with your business, you may not have the available funds to use expensive recruiting tools or firms. Fortunately, if you’ve established an extensive personal network of connections, you may not have to look far for your next hire.
You can use your personal network to recruit people you’ve worked with or met in the past. This is a more personalized approach to hiring because it allows you to communicate with people you already know. They may be more willing to work for your start-up company if they know you personally or have worked with you before.
As your start-up company grows, you’ll be able to look for engineers beyond your network. In the beginning, however, recruiting people you’ve already networked with in the past can be an excellent resource for finding the right candidate.
Simplify the Interview Process
Many top companies have an extensive and prestigious hiring process so they can find the right people. However, when hiring for a start-up company, you’ll want to keep your interview process much simpler to attract the right engineers.
Your interview process should include an introduction interview with an HR recruiter, an individual test or applied-skills task, and a final technical interview with higher executives.
Too many interview steps can lead to disinterest, so it’s important to keep the process quick and efficient. Make sure you are also providing feedback and open communication to your candidates throughout the process to keep them interested in the position.
Open Communication
Throughout the hiring process, you’ll want to maintain open and honest communication with your engineering candidates. This includes being honest about the nature of your start-up company, the job itself, and what you would expect from the candidate if you hired them.
You should clearly define team composition and the roles you envision in your company. You also don’t want to delay responding to people, since developers in high demand may choose to work for a different company if you aren’t responsive to them.
Working with an Engineering Employment Agency
Engineering employment agencies are a great resource for finding the right talent. Professional recruiting agencies know the market well and can find the right employees that fit your needs. They know effective hiring techniques and have many different sources from which to recruit the right engineers.
With a start-up company, it can be challenging to attract quality, experienced engineers. Recruiting agencies can help you find talent that you wouldn’t otherwise be able to find on your own. They can offer resources for the entire hiring process, including recruiting, hiring, onboarding, and retention. Because of this, engineering employment agencies can save you time and money associated with doing the hiring on your own.
Creating a successful start-up company involves finding the right people to work for you. It can be challenging to find qualified engineers to work for your business, but you can hire a top candidate to bring experience and knowledge to your company with the right tools and resources.
At Austin Nichols, we partner with top industry experts to fill engineering jobs for start-up companies. We successfully fill top positions with the best candidates, and we are here to help through every step of the hiring process. To get started with the best engineering recruitment firm in Kansas City, call us today at 816-471-5575.
