If I was the manager of a new startup company, with limited cash and

resources, I would first sit down and define who I am, what the business is, what I
hope to accomplish as well as what types of skills do I need in order to make the
business successful. I would then write out the job descriptions of the various
positions in order to expediently look over resumes in order to see who might be
best in what position. I would definitely check out prior references of perspective
employees as well as define what my company is and what the culture is. I would
then search for the top talent that would fit in the mission, vision, and statement
of the company.
I would definitely make sure that I hired the right people for the right
position. The first person I would hire would be someone who can adapt to
different challenges and find solutions quickly. He would be the type of person
who gets stuff done. As a startup company with limited resources, you can’t
afford to make big hiring mistakes. In a startup company, usually people wear
more than one hat. Hiring the right people can be extremely tricky for a start-up
company especially if no one knows anyone else. If you know someone you are
hiring, you would be ahead of the game in the hiring process, even if you do not
hire the person. It is difficult for start-up companies because no one usually
knows any of the others and the issue of a person’s credibility has not yet be
determined. Bagley, R., 2014). I would make the company exciting and the
company doing something big. By making it exciting and big, people will want to
work for you. Those that work for you and are excited, they will tell their friends
and families about the new exciting place they work and then it becomes
contagious and everyone wants to come to work there.
Yes, skills are an important aspect of a job, but businesses and people are
finding that a culture fit is just as important if not more. Is it possible for a
company to have the cake and eat it too? How hard is it to find a person who can
fit both culture and skills? I would take the time for extensive interviews for a
single position. One interview, I would interview specifically to find out their
experience and work history in the field that I would one day be King of. The
other interview, conducted by a few people I know who are credible and I trust,
would be specific to their goals, values, how they think the company should grow.
I would ask questions like what are their passions how they feel about a person’s
responsibilities and where they see them in 3-5 years, and 5-10 years. These
chosen few people would not even see their resume or application. All they
would have to do is concentrate on the questions regarding culture and
personality. I would probably do the skills and work history interview last. , and
do the personality/culture fit test first before even looking at the work history.
Even if they don’t have much work history or experience, you can always teach
them the basics. Personality and culture, you either already have it or not. It is
extremely difficult to teach someone how to be graceful and move elegantly if
they don’t already know how.
You can always train someone the ways of doing things and the company
could survive. When it comes to a company’s culture, you cannot train someone
to fit into the culture of the company. If you have a company with a certain
culture, and a group of employees who fit into that culture, the company can exist
and prosper. If you suddenly change the culture of the company without
changing the staff, you will end up with a gradual reducing of strength and
effectiveness through prolonged pressure and stress. Your business suffers and
you have a group of disgruntled employees. Brown, (n.d.) states, “So why is
company culture so important for attracting talent? Because it’s a huge piece in
the “quality hire” puzzle. Why is that important? Because quality hires not only
impact your bottom line (retention rates, higher performance), it creates the
“flavor” of how your service or product is created and delivered.
As mentioned above, I would make the company exciting because the
company is doing something good. I would explain to perspective employees
exactly how our business is exciting and good for the communities and how it will
benefit not just a few. I stressed the word “our” and would use that word
demonstrating that the company is just as much there’s as it is mine.
One way I would motivate my employees is by how I would treat them. In
order to be a good leader, you have to be a great server. Whenever possible, I
would be right there with my employees doing what they were doing because I
am not any better than them.
As an employer, I would have an open door policy for all my employees that
if they have a personal problem, work problem, or even suggestions, I would
demonstrate to them that I would love to discuss it with them. I would talk with
them and if need be, bring in outside sources to help alleviate the suffering.
Compassion for your employees is easy to do yet not done much.
No employee shall be treated unfairly or different from any other
employee. I would make sure that everyone is treated the same. I would
reward/recognize employees frequently when they do work above and beyond
the call of duty. Offer HR incentives that help to integrate their work life with
their personal life. Offer parental time off for newborn babies. It can be taken
immediately or if the wife stays home for 16 weeks, then the husband can stay
home for the next 16 weeks. The parental leave could be used for up to a year
after the baby was born.
Give the employees a sense of engagement and empowerment.
Communicate frequently with employees on changes and progress. Don’t just
post a memo by the timeclock, show them you care enough to spend time with
them to let them know the changes and answer their questions directly. This also
saves on confusion and mistakes.
There are many more incentives that could be offered at a later date when
the Start-up business gets off the ground but this is a good start.
Reference
Brown, J. (n.d.). Why Company Culture is so important for Attracting Talent.
ZipRecruiter. [Web log comment]. Retrieved from
https://www.ziprecruiter.com/blog/why-company-culture-is-so-important-for-
attracting-talent/