Recruiting at Seed/Series A stage startups

Hiring at a seed-stage startup is a race against time. Here are some of my lessons from the past quarter:

• Build a lightweight process. Define a clear interview loop, document it, make sure everyone understands and follows it, and iterate.
• Start with your network. Tap into yours and your employees’ networks—nothing beats great referrals.
• Build an engineering brand. Excite builders with the problems you're solving every day. For example, I like how deeply technical Cursor's engineering blog posts can get.
• Use external recruiting firms, if necessary. They could come in handy if you’ve exhausted your own networks and are in a pinch.
• Speed is everything. Don’t let great candidates slip through slow cycles. Make it completely frictionless to talk to CTO or CEO. Get on text, be accessible.
• No “strong yes” = no hire. If no one is pushing for them, move on. Maintain the discipline to pass on any lukewarm candidates.
• Closing is key. Be generous with time, help them visualize the journey. A compelling vision backed by metrics and results is how you win. A visual offer letter like Complete's can go a long way.
• It’s Legos, not Play-Doh. With startup recruiting, you need adaptable builders, not shapeable followers. You won’t have the time (or luxury!) to “bet” on candidates. If they can’t already do the role, they won’t be successful in a 5-person startup.

Recruiting at seed stage defines your future—make every hire count.