Hire an External HR Consultant For Your Startup

The roles and responsibilities of an external HR consultant

Since no two startup companies are the same, the role an external HR consultant plays in a startup company differs greatly case by case. Their primary duties include developing the following: HR policies and procedures; job descriptions; recruitment and retention strategies; a compensation plan; and orientation and training programs. It’s hard to say exactly when you will need to hire an HR consultant, but here are some signs:

You have very few candidates

If you want your startup to be successful, you will need to hire the right team members. Unfortunately, 90% of startups eventually fail, which is not desirable for someone looking for job security. And that is one of the reasons many startups encounter challenges when trying to hire new employees.

Another reason many people may be hesitant to work for a startup is that team members are often required to go beyond their job description since there are not enough team members to complete certain tasks.

If you are finding that you have very few candidates applying for your job postings, it may be time for you to hire an HR consultant. An HR consultant will help you to advertise your company in a way that will attract qualified applicants.

There are too many candidates

You may think that having an abundance of candidates is a good thing until you realize that someone needs to go through all the applications and then interview the qualified candidates. It can take days to sort through applications just to find one candidate worth interviewing.

Not only will an HR consultant help with the job posting, but they will also help with screening candidates, interviewing background checking, and pre-employment testing.

You have a weak onboarding process

Now that you’ve found a candidate that is the right fit, your next step will be to onboard that new employee. Without a proper onboarding process even, the best employees will struggle in a new role. Luckily, an HR consultant will help with the onboarding process as well.

An HR consultant will ensure a new employee feels welcome as soon as they’ve accepted the offer and inform them of their role, duties, policies, procedures, and how they will fit into the existing workforce. A consultant will also inform current team members that someone new is joining the team. In addition to onboarding a new employee, an HR consultant will also create a scalable onboarding process that can be used for all new hires.

You can’t assess candidate skills

When looking to hire someone new, you must ensure their skills adequately fit the job. This is especially important in a startup where everyone must play multiple roles. If you have doubts about your ability to effectively assess the candidates’ skills, consult a professional for help. An external HR consultant has the necessary tools to make the right hiring decisions.

You don’t know how much to pay

When you are starting a new company, one of the most important budgetary decisions is about compensation as typically salaries make up about 50-70% of a company’s expenses. If you pay too little, you won’t attract the talent or entice people to stay longer. And if you pay too much, you are utilizing funds that could be invested in other areas of your growing business. Hire an HR consultant to let you know what the market rate is for the jobs in your company.

Do you need an HR consultant in Vancouver?

If you are searching for an external HR consultant in Vancouver, contact us at Pivot HR Services. At Pivot HR Services, you will find a team of experienced HR consultants who provide personalized attention, timely delivery, affordability and superior quality. So, call us today to discuss how we can help you grow your startup.

What Our Clients say about us

“Robin and Mia were both exceptionally professional and responsive and understood our needs. Their work was of great quality. We are a small non-profit organization and we found them very easy and wonderful to work with. Great value and highly recommend.”

~ Joy Masuhara , Co-Chair Women Transforming Cities International Society

“Cindy is a remarkable professional coach, who goes well beyond expectations in supporting her clients’ development. She knows how to ask the right questions and uncover the real and deep issues that contribute to the limitations we put on ourselves. This type of personal exploration is tough work to do alone and remain committed to necessary change. Cindy’s approach and support made this process one of the most impactful experiences of my life, professionally and personally.”

~ Monique Cotton, Firm Administrator, JFK Law Corporation

“As a medium size business with over 100 employees working in very different areas of our operation, Pivot was able to quickly understand our HR needs and offer practical solutions. Robin and the Pivot team worked closely with our Leadership group to implement effective turnkey solutions on time and on budget. We will continue to use Pivot for our ongoing HR needs and would highly recommend their services.”

~ Adam Zubek, General Manager, Point Grey Golf & Country Club

Pivot HR Services provides personalized solutions for our organization’s human resources needs. By engaging their services, we have been able to successfully outsource our HR function, as the Pivot team has demonstrated their ability to understand the HR priorities of our workplace culture and industry.

~ Areef Abraham, Chief Executive Officer Community Power

“Robin developed our employee policy manual with the goal of engaging and retaining our current staff as well as attracting new ones in this highly competitive marketplace. Her in depth knowledge of current legislation and HR policies proved to be of significant benefit. I would highly recommend Robin and the team at Pivot HR Services.”

~ Christopher Soles, President, Nextgen Technologies Ltd.

“Robin has been and continues to be an outstanding resource for our organization to navigate HR issues as we grow. She always approaches problems with professionalism and a keen eye for our best interest. I’d certainly recommend Robin to anyone looking to elevate their HR processes.”

~ Karim Abraham, CEO, Kambo Energy Solutions

“Our firm turned to Robin for advice and guidance at a time when we faced a period of serious difficulty in managing our human resources. She assisted us through the process of putting our relationship with our staff on a stronger, more stable footing and helped us implement a complete overhaul of our human resources policies. We could not be more pleased with the work she has done and continues to do with us.”

~ Robert Janes, QC, Managing Principal JFK Law Corporation

When is The Right Time to Hire an External HR Consultant for Your Startup?