Wednesday 23 July 2014

Great employees are important to any company's success, but especially critical at a start-up. In the tech sector, a great software developer will produce more than 10 mediocre ones--and likely avoid costly missteps in the process. At CarGurus, we've proven that theory beyond a doubt. We don't have an army of engineers, but we've still cracked the top ten in most trafficked U.S. automotive shopping sites and are ranked as the fastest growing site in the category here in the United States.
That kind of momentum is based on smart development and employees who "get it." Like most start-ups, we aren't in a position to take risks with employees who are underperformers or a poor cultural fit. In fact, we joke that we interview 15 candidates for every new hire, but it's not far from the truth.
As you keep a discerning eye on your talent pool, here are five keys to keep in mind:
1. Use your current employees.
Good talent knows good talent. One of our most productive recruiting tactics has been an employee referral program based on a cash bonus incentive for helping us hire candidates referred by our existing employees. This achieves a few important goals: it demonstrates our faith in current employees, gives our employees a chance to make a little extra cash, and allows us to hire candidates that have the ultimate references--our own employees.
2. Hire great athletes, not specialists.
Companies often put too much emphasis on finding employees with "relevant experience." Your top performers will end up being smart, resourceful, and innovative--three elements that have nothing to do with prior experience. When I helped co-found TripAdvisor, we avoided hiring employees rooted in the travel business. This tactic brought us people with no preconceived notions about the category, just good ideas and tons of smarts.
I compare this to the athletic arena. Great athletes can shift from position to position and make an impact using their skills. My hometown favorite New England Patriots are notorious for drafting the best athletes they can find, regardless of the player's prior experience in college or the pros. The Patriots have been known to take wide receivers and turn them into defensive backs. They simply want the best possible athletes on the field.
Your team members should be able to use whatever experience they have to rise to a new occasion--not recycle what they've done before.
3. Keep your standards high, even when the pressure is on.
Fast growth creates its own set of "happy problems," the biggest of which is staffing a company experiencing fast growth. This is a huge pitfall for start-ups, as they let the pressure of the moment outweigh the need for long-term stability.
Use your growth to attract good talent, but don't let the need for speed influence your decision on a hire. One bad apple in the environment will rot the whole team.
4. Make candidates pass the "drink a beer with me" test.
Employees have to be comfortable having a conversation with one another--and that includes the CEO. I make it a point to interview every employee we hire. Once the rest of the team has a positive reaction to a candidate, I'll sit down with the applicant for a final "fit" test. I'm not necessarily looking to probe their coding or marketing skills. Rather, I'm looking to see how this person will fit into our overall culture.
Usually, it comes down to a simple question on that front: would I want to grab a beer with this person? If I don't think we can be at ease in a semi-casual setting, I hesitate to add them to the cultural mix.
5. Sell them on your company, too.
It's easy to feel like you hold all the cards in the recruiting process, especially in a down economy. If they're good enough to impress you, though, they could likely nail down an opportunity elsewhere.  That's especially important at a tech company like CarGurus. There  is a lot of industry competition for top developer talent.
Make sure you respect their power as a strong talent, and sell them on the benefits, personality, and development opportunities within your company.  The worst that can happen is they want to join you even more.
Source:inc.com

21 comments:

  1. It could also work out with the following processes...
    1)When you involve your employees in the hiring process...
    2)Be known as a great employee..
    3)Look first at in-house candidates..
    4)Hire the sure thing when recruiting employees.
    5)Improve your candidate pool when recruiting employees.
    6)Pay better than your competitors.
    7)Use your benefit to your advantages when recruiting employees.
    So this with the step giving will be perfect..

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  2. By going through some of segments of activities on each professional field. I think by this the company will also employ the best of best.
    Ojelunle Olasunkanmi Idris

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  3. Getting great employees and to make sure they undergone several trainings n seminars to improve and give the best the company

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  4. Try to look first at in-house candidate, those that are fit for the role within the organization and if it requires you hiring from outside try and pay more than your competitors and also other benefits they are getting by doing so they will put in their best in the job.

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  5. The growth of a company can be used as a tool in acquiring the best hand in terms of hiring new employees.

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  6. management needs to be very careful wen to recruit their employees in oder to the best among all the people seeking for job.

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  7. The major way is to recruiting by external recruitment . OLANREWAJU KAZEEM DELE

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  8. Recruiting the best of the best employee is an added advantage to the organisation because it will lead to the growth and development of such organisation through the briging in of idea which aid profitability,genraton of sales market.etc

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  9. An entrepreneur needs best of the best to keep the business going, this article will help to choose wisely. Eluyemi Elizabeth

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  10. Educative. Adeduntan Blessing Tinuade

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  11. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  12. Great article for human resource managers and other recruiters. Unlike some articles, no technical jargons that could render it ambiguous. Ogunsooto Abayomi Kunle.

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  13. For you to have the best of the best in your organization, you must add some interesting activities to the company in order to gear up the employee.

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  14. According to the writer,he notes how the firm should set a recruiting department who must me less self interest, and usually to increase them knowledge aspect, through regular training.

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  15. Present employees ideas and opinion are require wwhen when recruitin because they know where the company is lacking.Durodola fatai.

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  16. Great article for intelligent minds. Ajibewa Adewale Emmanuel

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  17. Seminars and Trainings should be organised for employees too. ADEGOKE MATTHEW

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  18. Skilled and experienced people are always the target of most employees. Ayeni Ifeoluwa Victoria

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  19. The growth of a company can be used as a tool in acquiring the best hand in terms of hiring new employees. AYANDARE KABIR AYODELE

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  20. The growth of a company can be used as a tool in acquiring the best hand in terms of hiring new employees. AYANDARE KABIR AYODELE

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  21. Labour is an important resource to any organization,a good list of employees is a relief to the organization even if all other things do not fall into place
    Olagunju Adetola Oyayinka

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