Building a brand is hard work. It needs a lot of time, energy, and strategy. No shortcuts allowed. The road is long and hard to walk. Yet, seeing your dream come to life is one of the most rewarding things you can do in your professional life.
Following the right steps to fulfill the perfect strategy may be rewarding for your business, but it won't be enough. To create the business of your dreams, you will need the right people to put in place your vision. They are a key component of success. Without the right employees to back you up, no strategy will bring your business to its fullest potential. Or even make it work.
So how to find and hire people that are a great fit for your startup? What are the qualities you should look for in the perfect candidate? The skills that will be of service to your business?
Sure, qualifications are important, but some things are of greater importance. And they often get overlooked. Which inevitably leads to lots of missed opportunities at the workplace.
Qualifications are crucial, but they are not the only ones you should look for in a candidate. The world of work is changing. We are witnessing a tectonic shift in the way we operate. The future of work is certain of one thing: computerization and AI are taking over. Soon more of the current existing jobs will be obsolete. And the remaining ones will be changed forever. So too will be the skills of workers. Both employees and employers will need to develop a new set of skills to be able to operate in this new reality. And they will need them fast.
So, what should you look for, when you search for the perfect candidate for your small startup? Apart from the specific job-related skills, there are three main things you should look for:
Imagination. It is a powerful force. It is the first thing that we get as human beings and it is the thing that separates us from other species on Earth. It is the skill that can help us see things that are not yet existent. To foresee results, not yet seen. To find new solutions to problems and change the environment to better suit our needs.
Without imagination, there would be no progress. Or ideas that drive the existence of our civilization. It is the one skill that will help us imagine the road ahead. The problems to solve. And the goals to achieve to thrive.
Creativity, on the other hand, is the ability to produce tangible results. Without creativity, the things we have imagined will only be illusions of our minds. It is the paper for our pens. It is connecting the dots. Getting together two ideas that have nothing in common and creating a new thing into the world.
And finally, perseverance. The art of not giving up. The power to continue no matter what. This is the most important quality for an employee of a small start-up. This is what you will need from your people. Because there will be hundreds of times when failing will not be an option.
Let's face it – trouble will happen. Tough times always come for small startups. Times when you test your ideas and your business. Then you will need people to face adversity. To not give up and stay with you. To be flexible. If anything, this year has taught us, it is that we need to embrace resilience as a crucial skill on the labor market.
These are the fundamental skills candidates will need. Especially now in the face of the emerging crisis.
Photo: jcomp