Building your Tech Startup Team. Qualities and skills to look for in 2024

Currently, the hiring process for technical talent is as follows: juniors aren't very desirable, seniors have high demands and sometimes are less flexible, while mid-level professionals offer a balanced mix of cost and quality. Mid-levels usually have moderate salaries and are more adaptable when it comes to training and blending into corporate culture. However, it's important to recognize that if your project requires specific knowledge, a mid-level developer might not possess the unique value a startup needs.?

But, for startups, the hiring question is especially crucial. Startups are all about flexibility, and that's what they need from their employees. Yet, there are instances when unique expertise is essential for developing new technologies.

In this article, we'll discuss who startups should be hiring. Should you opt for a highly skilled technician with weaker soft skills, or a mid-level professional who has strong soft skills but moderate technical expertise? One thing is clear, startups should consider what's essential for their specific needs. For many projects, such as developing a straightforward e-commerce tool, it may not be necessary or budget-friendly to onboard overly skilled leads or expensive outsiders. Often, hiring mid-level professionals or even outsourcing specific tasks to seniors can be more cost-effective and just as effective.

Hard and soft skills in tech startups

I'll start by writing a bit about hard and soft skills.

Hard skills

In the IT industry, hard skills refer to the specific, quantifiable abilities and technical expertise that professionals need to perform their roles effectively. These skills are typically acquired through education, training, and practical experience.

In the IT sector, hard skills encompass a wide range of technical proficiencies, including:

• Programming languages: JavaScript, Python, C++,?
• Database management,?
• Network administration,?
• Cybersecurity,?
• Web development,?
• System architecture,
• etc.

Soft skills

Soft skills are the abilities that directly relate to how you interact with others. They encompass interpersonal and social skills, professional behavior, and character traits.

Software engineers should have skills:?

• Critical thinking?
• Adaptability
• Flexibility
• Good communication skills,?
• Time management skills,
• Emotional intelligence,?
• Etc.

Now let's take a look at what qualities tech startups expect from employees.?

General Qualities for Tech Startup Employees

• Adaptability. Startups tend to evolve rapidly. Employees need to be flexible and open to changes in roles, projects, or company direction.
• Problem-solving skills. The ability to identify problems and devise creative solutions is crucial in a fast-paced startup environment.
• Collaboration. Startups require a high degree of teamwork and collaboration across departments. This demands strong communication skills and the ability to work well with others.
• Initiative and self-motivation. Employees must be proactive and able to work independently, as startups often lack the structured hierarchy found in larger companies.
• Customer-centric mindset. Understanding and focusing on customer needs and feedback is key to developing successful products.
• Product-minded approach. Employees should be product-minded, possessing a deep understanding of the product’s vision. This quality drives them to make decisions that align closely with the product's success and client needs.
• Communication and collaboration. Engineers must be able to communicate technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders and collaborate with cross-functional teams.
• Learning mindset. Startups often work with new technologies and approaches. Engineers who are eager to learn and experiment will thrive in this environment.

Specific Skills for Engineers in Tech Startups

• Technical expertise. Engineers should have robust technical skills in their respective domains, whether in software development, hardware engineering, data science, or other areas.
• Full-stack development: In smaller teams, engineers who can work across the entire technology stack (frontend, backend, etc.) are highly valued.
• Agility and rapid prototyping. Startups often need to develop and test ideas quickly. Engineers should be comfortable with agile methodologies and rapid prototyping.
• DevOps and automation. Engineers with skills in DevOps, CI/CD, and infrastructure automation that can streamline the development process. Knowledge of cloud platforms like AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud is required.
• Security and compliance. As startups grow, ensuring product security and compliance with regulations becomes crucial. Engineers with expertise in cybersecurity and data protection are in demand.

Navigating budgets and deadlines for strategic hiring

Of course, the specifics of the team depend on the project's requirements and objectives. However, a startup definitely needs a strong tech expert with solid soft skills. This could be a tech lead, CTO, or senior engineer. The project absolutely requires someone who understands the technologies that underpin the product and knows how to scale it. This person should be up-to-date with the latest industry trends to create a long-term product development plan.

Having a technological driver on the team is fantastic, but this person shouldn't operate in isolation—they need to spread their vision across the entire team. This is where soft skills become crucial. Communication abilities and interpersonal skills are vital for a cohesive team, so the chief technical expert must be a leader first and foremost, not just a boss. He needs to listen, motivate, care for others, and inspire the team. This is why such professionals are expensive in the job market.

If you shouldn't skimp on hiring a top-notch technical expert with good soft skills, for the rest of the team, you should consider the project timeline and budget.

A burning deadline and a small budget

If you're up against a burning deadline with a tight budget, the best approach is to hire mid-level full-stack developers. You can also bring in juniors to take care of routine tasks. But when time is short, everyone on the team must have solid soft skills to ensure smooth collaboration. Provided that in terms that you or your CTO have a strong expertise and consistent development plan. When it is very clear who will do what task and when.

If the project is technically complex and you need to get it done with a limited budget, you might have to hire strong technicians, even if they lack soft skills. In this case, you'll need a strong project manager to keep the team on track and facilitate communication.

The timing allows for no rush and a limited budget

If the timeline isn't as pressing, but you still have a limited budget, the best move is to prioritize people with good soft skills. Some technical skills can be secondary, as long as your team members are disciplined and willing to learn. But again, this isn't without a reliable teacher. You’ve got to have someone to look after the middle devs too. If the team has technical expertise and you need only skilled hands to perform various levels of tasks

This way, you can build a team that grows into technical experts over time, developing loyalty to the startup.

Deadlines and budgets give more freedom of choice

When you have more leeway with deadlines and budgets, you have the opportunity to be more strategic in your hiring process, which allows you to build a well-rounded team thoughtfully. While it's important not to set unrealistic expectations given the competitive market for top talent, having the flexibility means you can consider hiring juniors and nurturing them under the guidance of seasoned professionals.?

This approach has been proven effective by many companies and can lead to significant long-term benefits. It's crucial to establish a minimum set of criteria for hiring developers and maintain realistic expectations to ensure your team grows effectively.

Building a strong tech team in 2024

To wrap things up, let's highlight the employee skills that matter most in 2024. These skills don't just help you get a job; they can also improve your personal growth:

• Problem-solving skills and critical thinking
• Communication skills
• People and interpersonal skills
• Self-awareness
• Self-learning
• Accountability
• Time management
• Emotional intelligence

Startups must consider the working environment and conditions when developing hiring and adaptation strategies. Building realistic expectations based on market data is critical.

Our team has already helped many startups find the right talent across different domains. Thanks to our large pool of remote developers and proven validation process, startups can find the right talent within weeks. If your project needs a reliable team of developers, we can find them for you.