Finding the right person to fit certain position within a company is not an easy task. Especially today, when market is being overflown with competition, and your business is at the beginning. You will need to pay close attention, in order to find someone suitable for position of CTO (Chief Technology Officer). In this article, we will cover this matter. Feel free to read on, and to learn something new.
Experience
Naturally, the more experienced someone is, the better for you. In general, try avoiding those who have not worked in this field before. Your business is at the very beginning, and you cannot afford any mistakes made due to lack of practical knowledge. The trouble is that those who did this kind of job before, will require higher salaries. Question remains can you afford to have them on board or not? If you get lucky to find the one which suits you, try to find a certain compromise, to see how low you can bring down his salary, without losing him.
Personality
In general, you do not need someone with perfect behavior and manners, but you do not need to go to extremes, and to hire Tarzan-look-a-like barbarian. Average, normal person is ideal, so that your communication flows perfectly, making it easier for both of you. As for talkative, or silent kind of person, it really does not matter. What matters is what someone is speaking, not how much. Read between the lines, and you will get the pretty accurate picture.
Leadership
Being a chief, person you are attempting to hire should have such qualities. Do not fall into trap thinking that the bravest leader is the one which yells “Charge!” loudest, but the one which commands “Follow me!” at the right moment. Taking risks is a sign of a bold person, and that is good, but recklessness is not, differ these two clearly. First one will bring you success, while the other might fall down, pulling you and your company along.
Mindset
Hiring close-minded person for this job is the worst thing you can do. Problems will occur, and you need someone who thinks and acts “outside of the box”. Solutions found this way are usually much faster applied, and much more effective, with less money. This feature combined with previous experience might save you quite a bit of money, especially on longer run. Such people should be held at the company, and to make sure that they stay there, increase their salary if opportunity occurs.
Development
Those people who show initiative to work and develop company as well as themselves, are truly great asset to have. Besides honing their personal abilities, whether that would be leadership, or managing ones, they will also improve the image of the company. For example, suggesting to condone online questionnaire with nice survey rewards is a sign of your CTO wanting to know what does customer needs, and to adjust to those requirements. Basically, they will do more than their position requires.
When all that is said is taken into consideration, it is clear that not every candidate will be suitable for that position. Choose carefully, think twice if it is necessary. Saying that you are putting the faith of your company into hands of one person is exaggerating, but it is not far from that.