The Secrets to Startup Staffing Success
Written by , March 11, 2013 Throughout my career, I have had the honor to work with innovative, fast-paced and industry-disrupting companies that have attracted some of the best talent around the world. When I was given the opportunity to build AdRoll’s internal recruitment machine, I jumped at this chance last December. Named the fastest growing advertising company in 2012 by Inc. Magazine and already at over 100 employees when I started, we were on the right track to creating a best-in-class staffing initiative.
It’s now halfway into the first quarter of 2013 and things are moving even faster. We are expected to double in size and, having just opened a New York office, expand in other locations. Though we’re growing at a breakneck pace, we’ve been uncompromising when it comes to bringing on top talent. Over the past few months, I’ve had many colleagues in the industry ask me: how did AdRoll grow so fast? How are you going to scale this new growth?
In my experience, building a strong internal team, company culture and brand, and an employee referral program are key areas that companies have to focus on in order to build an effective staffing initiative. Also, having leaders that are on board with these areas is crucial to success.
Internal Team: a strong internal team is going to be the pillar to your company staffing initiative success. They are going to partner with you to drive a variety of initiatives, from developing a great candidate experience to sourcing to events, etc.
Culture: Culture fit is a very important piece and can be a challenge in hiring – it’s often the differentiating factor in a candidate’s decision-making process. This also contributes to companies making very costly hiring mistakes. In my experience recruiting in the U.S. and around the world, culture is something that you just can’t compromise. If you have a great culture, the other pieces will most likely fall into place.
Brand: This goes hand-in-hand with a great company culture. Your employee brand relates directly to how you develop your internal culture. How you present your company on the web and in person will impact the employment brand image. Word spreads fast and a few negative remarks can really do damage.
Employee Referrals: Great people know great people and your company should have a “everyone recruits” culture. Great employee referrals are the backbone and often critical to a company’s overall success.
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