What to Get Right in a Changing Hiring Market

In light of recent layoffs and economic uncertainty, the candidate market is opening up more than it has in two years. Founders and hiring managers may start to see more inbound interest for long sought-after roles and hiring may feel like an area where Founders can relax. But not so fast. This is when we advise clients to double down on hiring discipline.?

“In a market where talent is more readily available, it can be tempting to skip the up-front and often time intensive work of calibration that is so critical at the beginning of a search,” says Jenny Smith, Associate Partner at SwingSearch.

“CEOs are hyper-focused on revenue, and hiring managers, in general, assume they don’t need to be as diligent about hiring once the talent market opens up a little. In reality, a shift in the market like this one means that it’s even more important to have the right people in the right seats across your team. A great search partner will help you carefully develop critical roles and will insist on a strong interview process. They know that without some of the tailwinds of recent years, there’s a lot to lose in making the wrong hire, and so much to be gained by a great one,” says Jenny.

So how do you ensure that your team is making the very best hires in a more opportunistic market? Preparation is key.? Answering these questions will help:

1. What roles will impact your business the most in the next 18-24 months?
2. What is the ideal profile for these roles??
3. Is your team aligned on why that role matters and what success looks like??
4. Do you have the resources internally to find, qualify and close the ideal candidates?

These questions have greater urgency for roles you want in-seat by January 2023 (yes, it’s coming soon!) Time is one of the most precious resources in startup hiring and recruiting is a time-intensive activity. We encourage Founders to keep ‘4 months’ in mind.

4 months =? (2 to 3 months to hire) + (2-3 weeks of transition between roles) = 4 months between search kick-off and having a leader in the seat. (Hint, for roles you want in-seat by January, launch now!)

We hear time and time again from Swing’s clients that our investment in and commitment to strong process and partnership make a real difference. Reach out to learn more about our approach, to launch a search or just to talk through how to navigate the shifting talent market.? [email protected]