In my career, I've had the privilege and responsibility to hire more than 1,000 full-time employees and consultants. I would estimate that I have interviewed 4X that number and scanned 10X that number in resumes and LinkedIn profiles. The roles were all very different, the projects were all very unique, but the one common thread was that the deadlines to hire were always tight and we never filled roles as quickly as we wanted with the best possible candidates.

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Attracting, competing for, closing, hiring, and then retaining top talent is getting harder and harder with each day (hour really) that goes by. Gone are the days of "post and pray" and hope people apply to your job postings. Conversely, relying 100% on referral network hires when scale is the goal is a low probability bet at best.

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Whether you need to hire a single key programmer, an entire sales and marketing department, or replace a critical leadership role, the marketplace is becoming exponentially more competitive and the time to fill roles is expanding.

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The good news is that there are creative ways to keep your business running and thriving while you find and aquire top talent. During that time, developing a critical focus on the role(s) you are trying to fill and prioritizing them against current resources, existing work obligations, and competing department needs can lengthen the process and create unwanted stress. Working with a recruiter may or may not be the answer. Hiring part-time people may get you by, but are you putting off the inevitable and spending to much in the interim?

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SOME QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

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What is the most important role I need to fill today and why?

What happens if I fill this role with the best candidate possible, but not the best possible candidate?

Can any or all of this work be outsourced if the work could be segmented and managed properly?

Is this a role that needs to be a physical role on location or could it be virtual?

Is a work from home option a possibility that could open up your options to candidates and talent you may be missing?

Do I have a plan for attrition in key roles or departments?

Who is accountable for the success of our hiring process?

What risks does my business face when roles remain unfilled for too ling?

Am I attracting the right talent?

Am I losing great talent to a competitor? If yes, why?

How do I turn my current team into a referral generating machine that fills roles and creates great culture?

Where have our best employees come from?

When we lose a great employee, why do they leave?

Are we holding on to underperforming employees too long and for the wrong reasons?

If all of my hiring needs were met, what would I focus on next?

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In the last 15 years, Chicago has become home to some of the world's largest and most successful technology start-ups and incubators. Many of us have worked with, founded, invested, or helped start and grow some of Chicago's fastest growing SaaS companies.

 

We've made all the mistake entrepreneurs make. We've made great hires, disasterous hires, been part of exponential growth, and witnesses and managed aquisitions and downsizing that would make most people cringe. We've seen the best and the worst days from the inside some of Chicago's top companies and learned tough lessons from our first-hand successes and failures. Talking with an experienced entrepreneur can provide perspective and help you navigate the hiring and staffing decisions that are critical to the success of your business. The answers are usually there, it is just difficult to see them clearly when you are neck deep in the day-to-day detail.

 

Sometimes, all it takes is a conversation over coffee (or a beer) to spark a fresh idea, get a process "un-stuck", or make that tough hiring decision.

 

Connect with us today and tell us your start-up story! We're here to listen, make useful introductions, and offer helpful suggestions...and we never charge for an introductory discovery conversation.