“Free” can be the greatest word in the world when you’re in bootstrapping mode. A tool or service that’s going to make your life as an entrepreneur easier? And it’s free? Of course you’re going to check it out. There’s a million and one (maybe more) free tools out there for startups, all focusing on improving different parts of your business. I found a few that are meant specifically for the hiring process, since that’s something we happen to know quite a bit about. Here are 3 goodies you can grab – totally free – to optimize your hiring strategy:
Let’s start with the basics: an organizational chart. Lucidchart has a free template (and a free version of their software) that you can edit. It might seem rudimentary, but actually visualizing your org chart can really help determine who you’ll need to hire and develop as you grow your company. Create the chart to represent the future state and re-assign roles as people come aboard. Visualizing your company structure will help you determine where you need to allocate resources first, as well as how to organize roles in each department. Lucidchart is also incredibly easy to use, so you can play around with different formations. You may end up using it to map out your candidate experience as well!
Once you realize that you need to hire people, how do you know if you can you afford them? Angel.co has an awesome dynamic graph that allows you to view data across roles, locations, skills and markets. You can see what salary levels are common in startups, as well as what percentages of equity are being offered. This can help you determine what you should be offering so that you can a) budget accordingly, and b) stay competitive. Although you may be tempted to offer less money, you also want to hire qualified people. If those people can do the same work for more money or equity at another startup, you might have a hard time reeling them in. Angel.co can help you figure out where that sweet spot is.
So you know you need to hire and you’ve got your budget figured out – now you can think about recruiting. We’ve got a Candidate Persona Template that can help you target the right people in your search. Why post your job on all sites when the talent you are after only looks at one? Why even post an ad if the messaging doesn’t appeal to the right people? The template is a simple one-pager that walks you through the exercise of defining your ideal candidate. It’s a simple tool, but one that helps entrepreneurs understand where to find that star candidate and how to get their attention.
Honestly, who doesn’t love free things? And free things that help you to optimize your hiring strategy so you can save some dough and stay on track? Even better.
Swear by some other super-useful free tools? Share them in the comments below!