As you build the foundation of your start-up, there is no human resources department to foist off interviewing to. At this point in your company’s creation, every person you hire is in a unique position to influence its success. No redundancy, no safety nets.
This moment is about hiring the right people.
A resume can give you a quick overview, a timeline of someone’s career. But when it comes to hiring for your start-up, throw the resume away.
At this critical juncture, hiring isn’t about words on a page. It’s not even about filling a position. It’s about selecting pieces of the puzzle, slotting them together and making your start-up as strong as it can possibly be.
The people you want to hire, the people you plan to entrust your business to are not timelines. You need to know their qualities – how they handle first impressions and how they do the second time. You want to know their vision before you tell them yours. You want to know what makes them feel proud or happy or successful. You want to see where your personality and theirs intersect. Their enthusiasm bolsters your chances – how hard are they going to work for your idea?
A big part of this is thinking outside the box. A person with a background in finance might not seem the ideal person for say a Chief Technology Officer position but look deeper. What is their skill set beyond that experience? What are their personal interests and goals? What are their ideas?
Your business is a unique entity. Even if it has been done before (and it has!), you want to do things differently, to make yourself stand out. Creative hiring of multi-dimensional people is an excellent way to give yourself an advantage in the field. Their history and skills enhance your offering or service, making your offering something worth noticing.
