Hiring is always challenging, but when you're looking for quality talent for an early-stage startup, it becomes even trickier. The cost of a bad hiring decision is magnified at a company with fewer than ten employees, and each person is responsible for the success of the company. Here, we offer some tips on how to hire at an early-stage startup.

1. Hire for the role your candidate will grow into: At startups, the roles are constantly changing. Small companies experiencing fast growth need people who can adapt and grow with the team. If you're hiring a software engineer, don't only consider their programming skills. Consider whether or not they'll be able to lead a team of 10 software engineers in a few years. If you take a scientific approach to hiring, you can screen for quality talent and growth potential at the same time.
2. Find people dedicated to your mission: This is important for all companies, but at startups, in particular, you need passionate employees. The company's future is in flux, and you need to make sure your whole team is behind the mission 100%. On a team of 10 people, any single person can make or break the success of the company, so you need to make sure everyone is committed. 
3. Hire people who have been at early-stage startups before: There's a science behind hiring the right people, and companies that started small but became successful have perfected the art of finding quality talent. If you seek out employees who worked at early-stage startups that went on to achieve great success, not only will they already be used to the culture and work ethic of a small startup, but you can be sure they'll help your company succeed.
4. Seek out employees who fit in with the team: At the early stages of a company, you have a chance to define and perfect its culture. Make sure you find people who are not only able to perform their jobs well but also able to contribute to a healthy and productive work environment. Culture is key as a company grows, and you can make the right hiring decisions in the beginning to ensure that your company is one top talent wants to join.

Even early-stage startups can benefit from a scientific approach to hiring. At NEXTAFF, we use our proprietary recruiting method to help companies find high-quality talent. Download our free whitepaper on Perfecting The Perfect Hire below. For more information, contact us.  Based on this article, we recommend you read: 3 Reasons Why You're Not Hiring Quality Talent, Decision Fatigue: How to Hire Quality Talent, and 3 Practical Tips to Support Talented People.

NEXTAFF helps companies Hire Quality Employees.  By offering a complete range of temporary staffing agency services, we help your company – no matter where you are in your business evolution – raise productivity through hiring better quality employees. We are able to service all your staffing agency needs with local staffing offices in Raleigh-NC, Overland Park-KS, Topeka-KS, Kansas City-MO, Houston-TX, Gulf Coast-MS, Phoenix-AZ, Orlando-FL, Harrisburg-PA and Miami-FL.