As a CEO or founder of a company, hiring the right employees is crucial for building a successful organization. Just like constructing a skyscraper, starting with a solid foundation is key, and that foundation is your employees. Your initial hires play a significant role in shaping your company's culture, setting the talent standard, and influencing all future hires. Therefore, dedicating more than 50% of your time to recruiting and hiring in the early stages of your organization is essential.

The first 20 hires in your organization are crucial as they set the standard for talent in your company. Each new person you add to your team will have an impact on the next person that joins your organization. If your first 20 hires are exceptional, it is more likely that the next person will be even better, as top talent tends to attract other top talent. So, it is vital to hire the right people from the very beginning.

Your first contact with a candidate is often the primary reason why a star candidate either joins your company or walks away. Therefore, it is crucial to develop a clear, coordinated message for prospective employees, leveraging your employment branding with your team. As the CEO, you should be honest and articulate the actual values of your company's people. These values show up by who gets rewarded, promoted, or fired. You should be direct about your company and who you are looking for (and who you are not). This functions as an initial filter for top candidates and increases alignment before precious time is invested in interviewing.

To attract the right candidates, you should communicate your vision and culture consistently across your company's career page, posting platforms, job descriptions, and applicant conversations. Failing to integrate culture and brand will attract candidates who are merely looking for a job, rather than candidates attracted to your vision and culture. Therefore, it is crucial to develop a clear, coordinated message for prospective employees leveraging your employment branding with your team.

Early-stage hires must be fast-learners who are quick to adapt and take the initiative beyond their job description. You should hire a candidate with great emotional intelligence and intellectual intelligence, with a personality that thrives in uncertain environments with little guidance, and who matches your company culture. You should avoid hiring a candidate who requires constant feedback and direction, who exceeds job description expectations but does not align with your company's values, or who you simply want to grab a beer with.

Referrals are responsible for 80% of your first 20 hires. As a CEO or founder, you should lead proactive outreach and leverage your broader network to find the right candidates. You should hire employees who contribute to a core business need and have a range of interdisciplinary knowledge in other important areas of the growing company, including investors and partners.

Designing your interview process is also crucial to ensure a thoughtful, timely, and responsive experience for candidates. We recommend multiple in-person interviews prior to hiring. There are four primary methods for recruiting talent: Referral, Internal recruiter, Contingent recruiter, Retained recruiter, and Internal Sourcing.

Once the offer is accepted it is crucial that a new hire feels both welcome and integrated. It may be helpful to provide: A culture deck outlining the core values of the company and how the Onboarding in the company defines success in its employees, an organizational chart detailing the management/hierarchy as well as where the new hire fits into the organization, and several clear short-term goals to start the new hire off with some quick wins. As the business scales, process and systems become much more important. 

Early stage hiring can feel like a daunting task, but it can also be an incredibly rewarding one. By getting organized early in the process to build out a brand, codify your company culture, formalize the interview process, and onboard your newest hires with the help of our partners and resources, you can feel confident in a great outcome for your company.