Founders cannot achieve their ambitions alone. In fact, it only becomes a business when it stops being reliant on 1 or 2 key people. Having helped countless high-growth FMCG brands hire their teams over the years, we have learnt a thing or two about how to hire successfully and give yourself the best chance of the best teams. Here are some top tips:
This might sound an obvious one, but occasionally hiring can be rushed and this crucial part of the process is missed, leading to potential wasted time, damage to employer branding and missing out on good people.
Everyone who will be involved in the process (team members, investors, founders) should sit down and ensure they are 100% aligned on the roles and responsibilities, the type of person, the capability requirements, and the range of packages available. If you are not in agreement, find a compromise you know will work so you can move forward smoothly.
Extra tip: As you do this, assess your current team and their strengths and weaknesses so you you brief includes finding someone that complements them.
We all want all-rounders. Skills, culture and lots more. It can be really easy to write a list of 10 things you want to see in candidates and then rejecting people for not scoring 10/10.
What is nice to have and what is absolutely critical for the role from day 1. In our experience, people perform best when they have something to prove or are learning new skills in a role. Expecting someone to tick every single box including those non-essential ones will drag out the hiring process for no real gain.
Extra tip: Remain open-minded to a wild-card in a shortlist. They might only hit a few of the must-haves but could offer so much more in other ways that can benefit your business.
Depending on which route you take, you need to get your marketing materials prepared.
When advertising, keep in mind what about your brand or role could attract the best people. Speak to your target desires and focus first on what is in it for them.
This might be the first time they have heard of your brand – a well thought out and executed advertising campaign will be a brilliant first impression and make you stand out from the competition.
Once people are engaged in the process, keeping regular communication is important. You might have planned the process incredibly well, but sometimes things come up. Be transparent and update your candidates regularly. Even if the update is just that there is no news yet, they will appreciate not being kept in the dark.
Think about what you want to assess during the process. Typically you will want to know whether they have got the skills to succeed in the role and whether they fit in with your values and mission statement.
There are tools and tech available that will help you make decisions when hiring.
If there is a presentation or task, design that early on so that there is not wasted weeks of planning and giving the candidates time to put it together and make the task as relevant as possible to the role you are recruiting for.
It is also a good idea to get dates / deadlines agreed for each stage. If there are three people involved in the process and you know one of them is away for two weeks, take that into account and plan around it at the start.
If you let a process drag on, a few things can happen and not many of them are positive: the candidate can lose interest in your brand or they could get snapped up by your competition.
The best leaders are always open to meeting great people. We know your time is precious, but if you put aside a few hours a month dedicated to grabbing coffee with good people, even when you are not hiring, you can get a head start on all this.
It may even help you avoid a lengthy process altogether.
Our Recruitment Team are the only specialist recruiters for high-growth FMCG and consumer brands.
From junior roles to executive positions such as Heads of and Directors we can help you find the right talent for your business. Get in touch with us today if you have any open roles or would like to talk to our team about your recruitment strategy.
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