5 Skills a Start-Up Needs in an IT hire
Working in a start-up business is both exhilarating and anxiety-inducing. On the one hand, you’ve done it! You’ve taken those years of experience working for others, and you’ve finally devoted your time and resources to your own business. You can create the company you’ve always wanted.
On the other hand, the beginning is a very delicate time. You don’t have unlimited resources, and you’re starting something from scratch. That means you’ll need to be very thrifty with your budget and human resource choices, and you can’t just throw too much time and money at a project or person to achieve success.
Nowhere is this more apparent than in the hiring process. It’s unlikely that you’ll be able to start a business with nothing but professionals and friends you’re already familiar with in a working environment. You’ll have to attract and hire more people, but what makes a good IT hire for a start-up? Keep an eye out for these skills.
1. Data Analysis
We’re increasingly working in a business environment where companies can get access to vast amounts of data. Some of that is on the larger scale of user statistics for general preferences and behaviour, but some of it is complex, such as exactly how much time an individual spends on a particular web page before choosing to make a purchase or abandoning a shopping cart.
All of this data is extremely valuable, but only if you’re in a position to realize what it can do for you. Having a staff member with the skills to collect, compile, analyze, and offer meaningful interpretations of data is invaluable in a world where knowledge is power.
2. Growth Skills
You’re obviously going to be hiring IT staff for very specific tasks you need right now, such as coding in Python or maintaining good network infrastructure. But what you really want to see is potential so that as the company grows, so will your new IT hire.
The best way to get new staff in higher positions in your company is to hire from within because the staff have grown and acquired new skills.
If you have someone who started out with you and was involved in programming in C++, then several years later, that person is still doing the exact same thing, well, that’s a problem for you and the employee. A company should value growth, not stagnation.
3. Specialists Who Can Branch Out
In a similar vein, especially in the beginning, people with the ability to take on multiple roles as and when needed are extremely valuable in the start-up phase.
You don’t have the time or the money as a start-up to hire specialists for every single role you require in your company. In the beginning, people will occasionally need to double or even triple up on roles, as you most likely have done or are still doing.
Finding people who are willing to take on these extra roles during the occasions when required goes a long way toward helping your start-up prosper.
4. Client Facing Experience
Depending on your focus, you may want someone with client facing sales experience, or you may just want a few people here and there who can slip into this role when it’s needed. But sales and relationships are critical to any business, and having someone with IT understanding, who knows how to sell that IT product or service and communicate with your clients or customers is going to be invaluable.
Always make sure you have people on your start-up team who can work sales and start bringing in that revenue. All the tech in the world will do you no good if no one wants to buy it or trust you to handle it.
5. Stress Management
Handling stress is essential for any worker, but it’s critically important for those in the beginning stages at a start-up. With smaller staff and a limited budget, the workload is going to be significant. Things are going to go wrong, crises will need to be endured and resolved, and deadlines will need to be hit on time, productively, and calmly.
People who can’t deal with high-pressure situations tend to worsen the environment for everyone. Someone who remains “cool under fire” is a definite asset. It’s a soft skill but an important one.
Find the Right People
Profit matters, but it’s people who create the profit. If you want a competitive edge in your IT recruiting process, come to the IT recruiting firm that knows how to meet your needs.
Contact Poly Tech Talent today, and put our IT recruiting skills to work to find the people that will take your company to the next level.
Want to learn more about finding the right IT hire for your team, visit more articles in our Ultimate Guide to Hiring Executive Talent in Technology