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Hiring Challenges for Startups can be difficult if you’re focusing on growing your customer base. Plus, it can be tough to know which hiring system works best for your company’s needs. COVID has only made the hiring process for systems engineers more complicated, but there are actually more resources than ever before to connect with the talent you’re looking for.
The internet and digital connectivity make it possible to create great hiring solutions, even during the COVID pandemic. These things are just a few of the tools you can rely on to hire systems engineers for your startup. We’ve gathered a few ways to take advantage of these tools to bring on the talent your business needs. Read on to see how you can begin to hire stellar systems engineers, all while safely socially distancing.
Don’t Stop Networking
Professional networking online is still one of the most effective ways to source, hire, and retain top talent for your startup. Larger companies tend to have other resources at hand to hire outside of a more immediate professional network. For startups, it’s imperative that you take advantage of hiring methods that make sense for your budget, as well as your network of professional contacts.
You should begin your networking efforts on online platforms where you can connect with systems engineers you may already know, even if it’s indirectly. Especially as a startup, you should focus more on your network of already established connections. It’s easier to talk to someone about hiring opportunities if you’ve already worked with them and know what they’re capable of.
It doesn’t take much time to catch up with systems engineers already in your personal network. Take a few minutes to reach out if it’s been a while, and see if they’re in the market for opportunities.
This approach costs zero money and already puts you at a social advantage since you don’t need to spend time on introductions. Plus, you already know that they possess the skills you are looking for.
Keep Taking Advantage of Job Sites
Job sites that list open positions haven’t lost any of their value during the COVID pandemic. Your startup can benefit hugely from posting open positions on job boards for qualified systems engineers. But, not just any job posting will do if you’re trying to hire the right candidates for your business.
One issue a lot of new companies run into when using job boards is the number of applications they get, versus the average level of expertise from their applicants. Job sites tend to attract a lot of attention, but not always the qualifications you’re looking for. At least, that’s the case if you’re using sites that cater to a wider audience of job-seekers
You need to be deliberate about the way you construct your job postings. In other words, solicit interest from sites that post positions specifically for systems engineers. If you’re not sure where to start, ask any of the connections you’ve already linked up with about what sites they’ve used in the past. You can also take inspiration from other job postings to craft a posting of your own that resonates with systems engineers.
Set Up a Referral System
You need to get a little creative if you have limited hiring resources. Figuring out a referral system to attract top systems engineer talent is great for startups who want to broaden their reach. Plus, it’s no longer up to you to make the first impression on someone you’re interested in hiring when you use a referral system.
Let your professional connections know you’re in the market for top systems engineer talent, and with a referral system to boot. This way, you’ll be able to gain traction both about your position, as well as your startup. By the time you have an interview for a systems engineer roll around, a lot of the social introductory work will have taken care of itself.
Another thing about referrals that are so attractive to startups is the time and money that they save. Having a cloud-based referral management system, for example, is a way to keep your hiring process moving while letting you focus on growing your business. Just be mindful of third-party talent sourcing and hiring solutions that come with added costs.
Change Up Your Responses to Candidates
A lot of the time, candidates simply won’t respond to your messages on a professional networking platform after you reach out to them. Or even when they do, they just don’t seem as interested in your position as you’d first hoped. This is when you need to approach your follow-up responses from a different perspective.
A huge impression you make on a potential systems engineer candidate is through your response to their response. Especially if you’re familiar with a candidate – which you may already be if you’ve followed our previous advice – it’s important to connect with them on a personal, as well as industry-specific level.
You can cite their experience, your relationships with their colleagues, anything that can leverage a deeper connection. But above all, let them know that you’re not hiring systems engineers to fill (virtual) seats, but instead because they’re vital to your mission.
Figure Out Your Target Audience
It should go without saying that if you don’t know what kind of candidates you’re looking for, you won’t source any talent that suits your needs. Sure, you want to hire qualified systems engineers. But to successfully hire candidates, you need to go further than that and understand how to market to them.
So, what exactly does that mean? To start, try to write a job description that also ties in with your startup’s mission. Your candidates should immediately understand why their work matters to your startup.
Yes, of course, it’s absolutely important to tie in the prequalifications you’re looking for like certifications, tools used, and hard skills that match your business needs. But you should also write to candidates in a way that says you feel the same way they do about their work, and that it’s mutually beneficial for them to fill your open systems engineer position.
Don’t Be Afraid to Get Creative
Sure, it’s tough to connect with candidates right now the way you’d like. But digital connectivity makes it so you can get as creative as you want with your hiring process. Professional networks, job boards, online forums, and even social media are all great places for startups to check out.
Don’t forget that when you put your job postings online, you’re also giving candidates a glimpse into your startup’s mission. Always let the voice of your business shine when you build your job postings or referral programs for professional contacts to look into. The best systems engineers will gravitate to job postings that mix a strong startup culture with career goals they’re aiming for.
