Remember the story about the tortoise & the hare? Despite moving at a slower pace, the tortoise won.
TeamGantt is all about speed shipping. However, there is one area where we embrace the tortoise approach: hiring.
Our humble beginnings as a small, bootstrapped business prompted us to slow down our hiring process. Patience is an essential part of starting from nothing and cashflowing everything.
When it comes to building a great team, time taught us the importance of waiting. These lessons can be applied to your next hire.
Slow growth is a good thing
John Correlli and Nathan Gilmore, the cofounders of TeamGantt didn’t have enough investor cash to hire a large team when they started it. They had to work with what was available, and what they had at the beginning was each others.
John and Nathan weren’t just programming code behind closed doors. They also served customers on the front lines. This gave them the opportunity to learn all aspects of the business. They did it for three years, before they felt the crunch.
John Correlli, cofounder John says “I was split between customer support and development in the beginning.” “When I couldn’t keep up with the development or customers had to wait long for a response, we knew we needed someone to support us so I could spend more time writing codes.”
Nathan and John had already established a solid financial foundation for TeamGantt, so they knew that they wouldn’t be adding another person to their payroll.
How do you know when it’s time for your team to grow? John’s advice? “Keep going until your energy and time are exhausted or you realize that you’re being stretched too thin.” “When you reach that point, it is time to delegate. And when there is no one to delegate, it is time to grow the team.”
Keep looking for the right person
If you are looking to grow your team, there is nothing more important than filling that vacant spot quickly so business can return to normal. People are not projects. Putting a deadline on the process could make it easier to hire the wrong person.
We recommend waiting for the right person, no matter how long it takes.
Nathan says, “We don’t settle for the first person who might fit the role.” “We wait until we all feel that this person will be amazing.”
Here are some ways patience can pay off.
Begin with people you already know
Nathan and John wanted to expand their team but the company culture was still being established. They hired two people they knew, who were compatible with the chemistry Nathan & John had.
We always consider the candidate’s chemistry within the team.
Nathan states that it is important to hire people who are fun to be around and want to work with.
Even better, your network of potential employees grows with your team. If your team members are great, chances are that their friends are also. Before you open your doors to strangers, make sure to ask for personal recommendations.
Customize your interview questions
It can save you time and effort by asking plug-and-play questions during interviews. But are you really getting at the core of what is most important to you?
Consider what you value as a group and then tailor your questions accordingly.
TeamGantt is a remote company that works from anywhere. We try to pack as much as possible into each day so that we have more time for our personal lives. We are open-minded about the questions we ask in interviews. Here are some of our favorite interview questions:
What motivates and inspires you?
Why would you want to work remotely?
Do you have any experience working remotely? How was it?
How do you organize your day?
What is your home office like?
What is your greatest accomplishment or project?
Hint: Tha