10 tips to finding (and hiring) great tech talent
Thanks to the good folks at SignalFire — David Carpe and @Ashlee kim for inviting @Osman Ahmed (ex-Quora, @Monarchmoney) and me to speak…
Thanks to the good folks at SignalFire — David Carpe and @Ashlee Klim for inviting @Osman Ahmed Osman(ex-Quora, @Monarchmoney) and me to speak about finding, hiring and retaining good engineering and product talent. I went into the discussion with some thoughts, but the ensuing discussion with engineering and product leaders gave light to some great tips all around and I thought I’d share the wealth. There are a myriad of other ways to recruit and hire great talent:
Hire talent with non-traditional resumes. I think the bar was set for this one with the likes of Google and soon other large tech companies set other ways of hiring non-traditional resumes through their interview process and tests. Startups like Triplebyte etc have standardized the process of early filtering to vet out technical talent. Unorthodox sources such a Quora, Medium, Github, Twitter are great resources for finding unorthodox talent. A non-traditional resume where A leads to B and B leads to C pre-qualified by engineering degrees from top 10 schools is no longer the norm.
Hire talent from Big companies — As companies mature, and employees stay longer than 3–4 years, they are looking for new avenues both in domains and looking for new problems to solve. Finding those folks who may not be actively looking for a new change, but are perhaps a great fit for your startups immediate challenges is a matter of heavy linkedin and online research. Coaxing and cajoling that talent to leave their cushy jobs and join you on your quest involves your ability to sell the story of the big problems your startup is trying to solve.
Brand building online — I’ve learnt a great way of hiring talent is online brand building. To think of it is as online brand building offers a negative connotation to it. Every startup has its emotional story and every connection is an opportunity to connect potentially with a new employee. Linkedin posts, stories, twitter, and medium are the most effective channels I’ve used in the past.
Connect to power nodes — Power nodes are well-connected tech leaders in product, marketing, recruiting and engineering. Good people know other good people and connecting to a power node, even though not a direct fit for your company.
Reach out to past competitors — A founder at the talk, talked about how he was impressed with a great marketer from his competitor company. When he moved onto a new company a few years later, he reached out to marketer from his competition’s company and offered him a job. “I liked what he did, he was kicking our butt!”
Reach out through CEOs — Cold reachouts work. Its flattering, and shows you have done your research. The reachout is more effective when the email comes from the CEO’s email account.
Coach your employees to be good recruiters — All employees are effective recruiters for your company if trained the right way. Let’s remember that effectively with their equities vested in the company, its in every employee’s best interest to attract and recruit the best employees.
Stick to one story when you are establishing comp — Competitive salaries are difficult to negotiate when there are equity + cash comps that are insane being bandied around. Instead of indulging in a competitive bidding game, employees that are bought in, invest in the long term vision of the company.
Leverage with perks — Lastly, a shoutout to hiring and retaining key female employees. As more and more of my friends become parents and want to either stay in the workforce or continue to build a path back. Flexible schedules (20 hour work-weeks, 6 hour workdays, health days) are the many ways in which you can attract and retain your favorite employees.
Hire great recruiters — Hiring great recruiters or hiring external recruiting agencies are a great step if you can afford it. Its easier said then done in a competitive market, but they can make your job a helluva lot easier if you hire the right person.