Managing Startups: Best Blog Posts

Chapter 51. How to Hire Hackers: A Realistic Guide for Startups

Iris Shoor

Call them hackers, “ninjas,” or “rock stars” if you’d like. Other than being very talented developers, they all share one thing in common—it’s unbelievably hard to bring them onboard in your company. And as if competing with other companies for the same talent was not enough, being a startup just adds more challenges to the equation. Your startup may turn out to be the next Google/Facebook/Instagram, but until then, how can you convince the best developers out there to join a company where the CEO’s office is an IKEA desk? Here’s one answer—recruit like a startup, in a creative and agile way, doing things the way big companies can’t. During the last five years I’ve interviewed over 250 candidates and recruited dozens of great engineers. The first interviews took place in our tiny office’s kitchen, and we still managed to convince some of the best candidates to join. There aren’t any magic tricks involved, but here are some tips and methods that helped us get ninjas, rock stars, and other highly talented people onboard.

You’re a Startup—Have the Founders Make the First Contact

We lose many potential candidates even before the starting line—we fail to bring them over for a first interview. Some are already talking with too many companies, or decide after a brief visit to your ...