How does technical recruiting differ from other types of talent acquisition? 

Technical recruiting focuses on roles that drive product development- these roles include engineers, data scientists, product designers, and product managers. They are the backbone of product development and require a unique set of technical skills.

Technical recruiting requires a deeper vetting process for certain skill sets – unlike other roles, technical roles require a deep dive into coding, architecture, or specific technical requirements as opposed to just behavioral interviews. The interview process needs to be able to evaluate these skills effectively throughout the recruitment process.

Technical professionals are in high demand – this can mean they are often difficult to reach and hire. They have more opportunities and are more selective about the roles they accept. Due to this high demand for their skills, they’re also often well-versed in the interview process—you need to be able to vet their technical skills as well as sell them on your company’s vision and mission as well as the role and team 

Technical roles often command higher compensation – due to their specialized skills and high demand, technical professionals often command higher salaries. Hiring teams should aim to target a higher percentile for these roles, being mindful of overall company funding and compensation philosophy.

How should you prepare and position your company to successfully attract and land high-quality technical talent?

Show engineers their impact – technical talent is often driven by the ability to make a difference. They want to work on projects that they find meaningful and have a voice in the development of the product. Ensure that your company highlights the potential impact of their work and allows them to give feedback or help drive the development process

Offer fair compensation – be upfront and fair about compensation to avoid turning off potential candidates. Avoid unnecessary back-and-forth negotiations and “nickel and diming” during the hiring process. Use equity when able if meeting salary requirements proves unreasonable for the company stage. 

Foster continuous skill development – with new technologies and development methods emerging all the time, engineers want opportunities to learn and grow. Ensure your company provides opportunities for continuous learning, whether through mentorship or other professional development initiatives.

Offer flexibility and autonomy – good talent wants to be trusted by their employer and have their success measured by the impact they make on the product, not the number of hours they spend at their desk. Offer flexibility in work schedules and autonomy in roles to draw high-quality technical talent.

Trust and good rapport are vital – technical professionals want to feel valued and respected. Building a culture of trust and maintaining good rapport with your team can significantly improve your ability to attract and retain high-quality technical talent.

How do you create an effective candidate scorecard? What are a few qualities that might be important for key technical roles?

An interview scorecard is a tool to evaluate a candidate’s skills and qualifications – it helps to ensure that the hiring process is fair and consistent and that the best candidate is selected for the job. The scorecard should be created in tandem with the job description and should be used to guide the interview process. 

It should include skills, qualifications, and attributes that are important for the role – each skill or qualification should be rated on a scale, and the candidate’s performance in each area should be recorded during the interview.

The scorecard should also include space for notes and comments so that the interviewer can provide additional context or explanation for their ratings. After the interview, the scorecard can be used to compare candidates and make a final hiring decision. 

To create the scorecard, sit down as a team and think about:

• Understand the role before you create a candidate scorecard – discuss what success looks like for this role in the first 90 and 180 days. Consider potential pending pivots for your company and how this role might change as your company matures. 
• Get input from those who will collaborate with the new hire – they may think of things that you, as the hiring manager, might not. Involving them early in the process also ensures alignment and buy-in.
• Distill your notes into key components and clear expectations for the role – this includes both the technical skills needed for the role and the soft skills that will complement your team.
• Design the Interview process to align with the scorecard – once you have a clear understanding of the role, you can design the interview process. Develop a question set, assign questions to interviewers, and define what constitutes a good, great, or terrible grade. Ask the same questions to each candidate to reduce bias and allow for more accurate comparisons.

Engineering Scorecard – Example

• Code quality – if you don’t have dedicated QA engineers, the quality of code can be an aspect of the scorecard and assessed through coding exercises. • Coding speed – the speed at which an engineer can produce can be measured through timed coding exercises or by reviewing the speed of past projects. • Systems design thinking – an engineer’s ability to think big and understand and work within complex systems. This can be assessed through problem-solving exercises and discussions about past projects. • Problem-solving – ability to solve problems that arise in ambiguous situations.

Product Manager Scorecard – Example

• Product Roadmapping ability – a product manager should be able to think holistically about the product roadmap.  • Product processes – a product manager’s ability to follow and improve processes is key.  • Incorporation of feedback – a product manager should be skilled at incorporating customer or tester feedback into their work.  • Roadmap creation and accountability – how does the product manager hold people accountable for roadmap outcomes, especially when many of the deliverables aren’t from their direct reports? • Cross-functional collaboration – ability to work closely with partners across the organization to help drive outcomes.

Design Scorecard- Example

• How do they experiment, get feedback, and implement it – are they able to do interviews and implement feedback?  • Portfolio Review – a review of a DevOps professional’s portfolio can provide insight into their skills and experience.  • Data-Driven Design – do they just design the way they want it to look? Or are they making sure that it aligns with the customer’s desires?

What are typical compensation ranges for technical roles? Where can you find more specific benchmarks?

Your target percentile should be higher for technical roles than others – compensation varies widely depending on the target percentile you’re aiming to pay. To ensure you get talent, your target percentile should be higher for technical roles than for non-technical roles. For example, if you usually aim for the 50th percentile, technical roles should be at the 60th-70th percentile. 

If you’re remote, consider the cost of labor in employee location – the cost of labor in each market plays a significant role in determining compensation. Some companies pay based on the cost of labor in your market, while others have a blanket approach for remote team members across the country. Consider the pros and cons of each and 

Most IC technical roles earn around $160K-$210K – this is standard for engineers, data engineers, and those in AI. Specialist roles like data engineers and roles in AI may command higher salaries due to market demand. 

Compensation for managers can be higher or lower depending on their career path – engineering managers may earn within that $160K-$210K range—but in certain spots, managers might earn less than individual contributors based on their skills. Once you reach Director or VP level, salaries tend to be higher, (e.g. within the $200K-$250K+ range, not including equity).

When you evaluate comp data tools, think about:

• What they’ll request from you (some tools will ask for data for their database and go so far as asking for your total rewards data)
• How many companies are part of their data set? 
• How many individual salaries are within that data set? 
• What size companies are in the database? 
• What roles are in the database? 
• Is your data private? 
• How they present data (some are going to have a better UI than others)
• Can any tools you have already get you what you need?

Pay for compensation if you’re looking to hire 20+ employees – compensation data can also help you evaluate and create parity with the salaries of employees already at your company. It can be used as a negotiating tool to show employees they’re paid fairly for their role. Example sources for compensation data include: 

• Aon (Radford)
• Carta
• Pave 

Compensation is a huge investment, invest in getting it right – compensation is one of the biggest costs for your business, and it’s crucial to ensure you’re not overpaying in certain areas. Therefore, investing in reliable compensation data can be a worthwhile expenditure.

Where should you look when recruiting for strong technical talent? 

Utilize your existing network – the first place to look for technical talent is within your own network. Reach out to engineers you respect and ask for recommendations. A warm introduction is always more effective than a cold one, and more likely to result in an actual interview. Exhaust your network and your network’s network as much as you can.

Institute a process for referrals – you can offer referral bonuses to employees who refer hired candidates, this incentivizes employees to think more carefully about their network and allows you to reinvest money that would otherwise be spent on recruitment agencies back into the employee base. But be sure that referrals go through the same process as other candidates—don’t let them skip steps just because they were referred by someone you know. 

Look on LinkedIn – if you have the time to sift through profiles. However, keep in mind that not all profiles provide the specific information you need, such as the type of engineer a person is.

Look on GitHub – especially if you’re looking for someone with specific skills. You can look at open source technology and see who is making the most commits and who is active in the areas you’re interested in. 

Conferences – look at who is speaking at top conferences in the areas you’re interested in, and research what companies those speakers are associated with. This can give you a good starting point for finding potential candidates.

Stack Overflow – in some cases, you can even accept applications directly from the site. 

What messaging works well in job descriptions or outreach to technical candidates?

Anchor in specificity – sending a blanket message to an engineer isn’t going to work. Instead, tailor your message to the individual, highlighting why they would be a valuable addition to your team. This requires a clear understanding of the role’s expectations and the candidate’s potential impact. 

Look for a connection between the candidate’s interests/experience and your company’s mission –  this could be anything from shared values to relevant skills or experiences. This connection can make your outreach more compelling and personal.

Clearly communicate the value proposition for the candidate and your company – why would your company benefit from having this person on board? How does your company stand out from others? This differentiation can be a deciding factor for many candidates. Your JD should convey why you need a candidate, build confidence in them, and make them more likely to apply. 

Reflect your company culture and values – spend time defining these elements and ensure they are clearly communicated in the job description. This helps candidates understand if they would be a good fit for your company.

Communicate clearly and vividly – many people skim job descriptions, so it’s important to make them clear and engaging. Use bullet points for key information and provide examples to paint a clear picture of the role. This helps candidates visualize themselves in the job and understand what success would look like.

Be transparent and realistic – be open about your company’s strengths and areas for improvement. This honesty can build trust with potential candidates and show that you value growth and development.

What steps should you incorporate into your hiring process for technical roles? How can you screen for good cultural fits at each step?

Setting up the process

Begin by creating a structured interview process –  this entails creating a handbook or playbook for each role, which includes job descriptions, soft skills, notes, and specifics on each interview step.

Running the interview process

Step one: Conduct the initial “Get to Know You” Call – this call is less about digging into technical skills and more about understanding each other’s work styles, and expectations, and ensuring alignment with the role.

Step two: Technical screen – it should be conducted by someone who understands the technical requirements of the role. This could be a hiring manager, a peer, or the CTO. It could involve a coding test or a deep dive into a systems architecture that the candidate has built. Give the candidate time to ask technical questions to the interviewer. 

Step three: Panel interview – this involves setting up a few conversations with different candidates back-to-back to measure different skills for each from your scorecard.

Step four: Debrief – this allows everyone to collect their feedback as it is against the scorecard and input it into a system for the hiring manager and/or recruiter to see. The sooner after the interview you can do this, the better. 

Step five: Make a decision – the hiring manager, possibly in consultation with others, makes the final decision on the candidate. 

Step six: Send an offer letter and conduct references – you can do these in tandem. Be specific about what types of references you want feedback from, especially if you have question marks from the interview. 

Tips for a strong process:

• Communicate with the candidate throughout each step of the process – as a courtesy to the candidate, provide updates or feedback on the decision and next steps.
• Create alignment and consistency among interviewers – all interviewers should be clear on what to ask and what to look for in response. This helps remove bias and ensure you’re not just hiring people who are like you, but people who can do the job well. As you learn more about the role through the interview process, you may need to adjust your questions or expectations, but maintaining a consistent structure and approach is crucial.
• Showcase your culture – and make sure the process gives the candidate an opportunity to evaluate your team and the role. 

How should you test candidates for hard skills? 

Allow the candidate to prepare – avoid ambushing candidates. Be clear in your prompts and provide specific guardrails. You want the candidate to know what to expect and be able to prepare adequately. 

Make your testing mechanisms conversational – the best interviews are the ones where you set up the candidate to work and brainstorm with you. This allows you to see how they handle challenges, ask questions, and interact with others.

Tactics you can use include: 

• Coding Tests – a coding evaluation to assess coding skills, language knowledge, and problem-solving. You can hire companies to conduct coding tests, or you can do it in-house. 
• Paired coding assignments – a candidate working on a coding task or problem-solving exercise under the supervision/collaboration of interviewers. It evaluates the candidate’s coding abilities, communication skills, and teamwork in a real-time setting.
• Collaboration interviews – these are especially useful if the role is customer-facing. You can see how the candidate interacts and handles working with different people.
• Presentation and discussion prompts – these can be used to assess a candidate’s ability to present their work and discuss it extensively. It’s particularly useful for high-level roles.

Test problems that are similar to the problem you’re trying to solve – give them a test that’s similar to your real-life problems to get a sense for how they’ll perform in seat, however, avoid making them solve a real problem you’re currently facing (unless you’re willing to pay them for their work).

When testing, consider the role’s future responsibilities – small companies often require employees to take on different roles as they grow. Be thoughtful about the needs of the company and the role you’re hiring for to find the ideal candidate who can grow with you and obviate the need to hire additional people later on.

What roles in your organization should be involved in the recruiting and hiring process?

The roles who will be involved include: 

• The hiring manager 
• Peers in the function
• Roles that will be frequent collaborators 
• HR and/or recruiting

What external recruiting options are available? When should you use them?

Consult your investors first before hiring an external recruiter – they may have connections or an internal talent partner who can assist you. While that firm might not conduct the interview process for you, they can introduce you to potential candidates. This step can save you both time and money. If your investors don’t point you to a talent partner, you can also leverage your network and see who others in your talent market are using. 

Use search firms for high-level roles – for paramount roles such as a CTO, it’s advisable to use an executive search firm (especially when your team lacks technical experience). These firms are deeply invested in the market and can guide you through the hiring process.

If you have a role you need to fill immediately, consider a recruiter – recruiters are most helpful in expediting the hiring process. If you have a mission-critical role that needs to be filled immediately, consider using a recruiter who specializes in that role. 

Understand the Different Types of Recruiters:

• Executive search firms generally handle VP roles and above.
• Some recruiters specialize in specific industries like healthcare, health tech, or AI. 
• Some focus on specific roles or requisitions, such as sales, engineering, or data science. 
• Some can help you set up recruiting infrastructure (e.g. your interview process or HR policies) as a fractional first recruiter. 

Overall

What role does your compensation philosophy play in technical culture and recruiting activities? What does a good compensation philosophy look like?

Come in with your best offer – do a no-negotiation policy. Be thoughtful about what your budget is, and what your long-term runway looks like. Be mindful of what long-term equity could be

A good compensation philosophy is one you can adhere to – start with a compensation plan that you can build upon rather than one that you may need to reduce in the future. This approach helps to maintain morale and avoid the negative impact of having to take away benefits or reduce salaries.

For remote companies, compensation should be based on the cost of labor in the market – consider the cost of labor (not the cost of living). Otherwise, employees may feel trapped in their roles due to high salaries they may not be able to find elsewhere. 

Adopt a no-negotiation policy and offer the best possible package upfront – this approach avoids the potential for resentment that can arise from negotiations. Be mindful of your budget and long-term financial projections when determining compensation packages. 

Equity should be a key consideration in compensation philosophy – if you can’t offer salaries in the 50th percentile, consider offering a larger stake in equity. This approach can help to get employees invested in building something great.

Ensure equal pay across all demographics – it’s crucial to ensure that women, people of color, and non-binary individuals are paid equally. This approach helps to eliminate inconsistencies and potential disparities in the future. 

What are the most important things to get right?

Hire who you need, when you need them – make strategic hiring decisions to better support business success, get candidates at the right level at the right time, and save on the cost of talent. 

Invest in your interview process – your interview process is central to identify the right talent for your company. It’s how you get beyond the resume and into whether candidates can meet your business needs. If you’re not intentional, you can end up with a candidate who talks a great game during an interview but isn’t effective in a startup environment. Bad hires are expensive, so it’s worth investing upfront to figure out who you need and what they need to be able to do.

Look at the big picture of your talent acquisition strategy – instead of hiring out of desperation, take the time to ensure that you’re hiring the right person for the right role at the right time (even if you feel like you don’t have that time).

What are common pitfalls? 

Avoid the allure of big names – many people believe that they need someone from a prestigious university or a top-tier company. However, these individuals may not be the best fit for a small company. Watch out for candidates who are accustomed to working with abundant resources and may struggle in a startup environment.

Avoid over-hiring in the early stages – even if you have the funding, don’t hire just because you can. Companies often hire a lot of senior engineers because they can afford it and think they need it for speed. You’ll need people who can grind out code and get things done. Think about the balance of your team as a whole and what you need to get done. 

Be honest with candidates about your company’s challenges – don’t cover up things that are uncomfortable or that you think people won’t like. If you’re a growing company, you’re going to have pain points. Be upfront about these challenges during the interview process. There’s nothing worse than a new hire feeling surprised or deceived about the state of things after their first week. Being honest about your company’s challenges not only builds trust but also helps you find candidates who are excited to help solve these problems.