Hiring new employees is always a challenge. Whether it’s an overload of resumes or a lack of qualified applicants, finding the right person for the job isn’t easy, even at large corporations.

The stakes are even higher when you’re running your own startup. Bringing someone new on board is a big deal when you’re small, because it shapes your growing business culture. Under these circumstances, hiring the right team is absolutely critical to long-term success.

With that in mind, here are four quick tips for entrepreneurs preparing for their first major round of hiring.

Passion Is Just As Important As Experience

You’re going to be asking a lot of your new hires, so whenever possible you’ll want to invest in someone who shares your passion about your startup. A candidate with years of experience will no doubt be an asset, but passion is what will keep your team around when the chips are down – and the chips will be down at some point.

Want Better Answers? Ask Better Questions

You’re going to need employees who have a kind of adaptability that can be hard to identify with the average interview questions about job history and strengths vs. weaknesses. Consider some non-traditional questions or tactics that cut to the heart of who your candidate is and how they think. It’s not a trap or a gimmick; the goal here is to study reactions and watch for adaptability, quick-thinking, grace under pressure and all the other hallmarks of a great startup hire.

Look For Versatility

It goes without saying that things can change quickly in startup-culture. When your goals and roles tend to shift almost daily, you’ll need people who can do more than one thing. Hiring a specialist with narrow expertise in one area might make sense down the road, but these types of employees often fail to thrive at a startup, where defined responsibilities and expectations are a moving target at best.

Don’t Forget The “Fit”

Of course you want to hire a candidate who is smart, adaptable and ambitious; but you also need someone who will fit in well with the crew. To succeed as a startup, you need a team that is greater than the sum of its parts. To get there, each new hire must be capable not only of doing their own job, but making your team better as a whole.

Hiring for startups is one of the most critical challenges an entrepreneur will ever face. Follow these tips and you’ll be on the right track to building a successful startup backed by a strong, stable team.

Looking to join one of these teams? Check out the JumpStart job board for the latest openings across Northeast Ohio.