Staffing a start-up

It’s a nice position to be in to be looking for new staff for your start-up. At the very least it means the business is growing, and if you find the right person they can help you accelerate that growth.

At Shooii we have currently been recruiting for a junior role which will help free up time for us to move our business to the next level. It’s a process that has raised quite a few questions and challenges for us.

Firstly, we had to think about which role to hire for. With only a fixed amount of resources available for new staff, we need to ensure that we deliver the most valuable output for the business.

For us, this involved a review of all the work that needs to be done, and evaluating not only what tasks an employee could tackle, but also analysing the most effective use of our own time and how a new hire would complement the best use of our own time.

The next decision involved working out how we would get the word out that we were hiring, without breaking the bank. We posted the job on a free job board that was specific to the interest of our likely candidates, and also asked our network of contacts in that field to spread the word for us.

Luckily the quality of applicants we received were strong, and that in turn has required us to ask ourselves which qualities we deem most important for a member of the Shooii team. We’ve had this discussion in the past that for us, possible cultural fit may even rate slightly higher than technical ability.

Dave and I place a huge emphasis on maintaining the right company culture, and while we have our ideas it’s ultimately up to all staff to shape the way a business works together.

Based on this we’re looking for applicants who are multi-skilled, enthusiastic, vibrant and have an appetite for learning – in addition to being proficient in the skills at the core of the role.

It’s likely that their role will grow and change over time, so it’s key that they bring the right attitude to tackle life in a busy start-up office.

Once we’ve come to a resolution, I’m sure it will be time to immediately move on to the next challenge – finding the time to be a good manager!