How to hire your first HR manager without overpaying

Most founders delay hiring HR because they assume it means a bloated salary. It doesn't. The right first HR hire for a 30–100 person company is a generalist with compliance depth — someone who can run payroll, draft offer letters, manage PF/ESIC filings, and handle grievances. You don't need a Head of People yet.

Start by mapping your current HR pain. Is it hiring speed, attrition, compliance gaps, or just admin overload? That tells you the profile. A compliance-heavy business (manufacturing, services with contract workers) needs someone with PF/ESIC and labour law experience. A tech or consulting firm needs someone who can build culture and recruitment pipelines.

Salary benchmark: In metros, a solid HR generalist with 4–6 years of experience costs ₹6–10L per annum. Don't overpay for a fancy title — look for someone who has handled end-to-end HR for a similarly sized company.

Before you hire, document your current HR process (even if it's a mess). That's what you hand over. Set a 90-day outcome — by day 90, they should have audited your compliance status, cleaned up your HRMS, and built a hiring pipeline for your next 5 roles.