How to Use Technology to Attract Top Talent

When you’re just starting your company, you likely don’t have much capital. That means that you can’t attract top talent with promises of a six-figure salary. However, technology can come to the rescue if you want to bring the greatest minds into your organization. This is especially true when you’re working in the tech space, and your potential employees have technical knowledge.

Get a Company Phone Plan

It’s never been more affordable to get a company phone plan, especially at small startups. Adding a line to your plan for each employee can become a valuable investment, especially for employees who might work in the field, on the road, or from home. Look into the best deals, such as unlimited data plans from a carrier like T-Mobile. You won’t have to worry about paying for overages, and your employees can use their phones and other devices whenever they need them.

A company phone plan doesn’t just improve employee engagement and productivity. It also becomes a selling point when you put ads on Monster.com or attend a recruiting event. Professionals don’t always care just about how much they earn; they also want perks, such as free cell phones, which help them stay connected.

Provide Access to Software

Any startup tech company needs software to ensure its success in the industry. Instead of pinching pennies with the bottom-of-the-barrel programs, spring for the most popular or most efficient options on the market. Software has become far less expensive over the last couple years thanks to subscription plans. Instead of paying thousands of dollars for licenses, you pay a much lower amount every month.

For instance, your design team could use free software like Gimp and Inkscape. However, Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator are far more powerful tools, and they will allow your team to gain an edge on your competition. The same goes for customer relationship management, or CRM, software, and other programs that your company might need for daily operations. Just make sure you let new applicants know about the software to which they’ll have access.

Communicate Often

Employees love workplaces where they feel like a team instead of a cog in the machine. Promote communication via in-app messaging services, text messaging, and phone calls. Additionally, schedule regular team meetings so everyone can get together in the same room and bounce ideas off one another.

Technology improves communication by giving you more options. Your remote workers, for instance, might not come into the office, but they can use their phones or laptops for Skype or FaceTime sessions. When recruiting top talent, let them know that you encourage communication, teamwork, and collaboration in the office.

Provide Video Training

Employee training can drain resources quickly, but not if you automate the process. While you still want new employees to get some one-on-one time with a veteran worker, you can conduct training largely through online videos. You’ll spend less money because you only have to record each video once, and your employees can watch the videos at their own pace, which will appeal to different learning styles.

Best of all, you can control the quality of training. You won’t have to worry about an unprepared trainer giving a long, boring seminar to a bunch of sleepy recruits. Instead, everyone at your organization will see the same videos and therefore know the same information. Use an app to provide a quiz or test at the end of each video to test information retention.

Ask for Feedback

Instead of sending out anonymous surveys, email your employees every so often to ask if they’re fulfilled. Let them know that they can make suggestions for workplace improvements, and that they’re welcome to air disappointments or grievances. When your employees trust you enough to share negative feedback, you create a transparent and safe workplace.

You can do the same thing in person, but email allows you to check in more often, especially as your startup grows. Use annual performance reviews to talk face-to-face, and let technology take care of the rest.

You might not be able to offer your employees huge salaries. That doesn’t mean, however, that you can’t attract the top talent in the tech space.