If you wanted to find talented people for your startup – where would you look?
In a time when big corporations are overpaying for their job offers just to steal the best talent from another big company, and in an era where everyone can build their own startup, there will always be room for people who prefer to join a team and work on something (in the future) big.
How would you find these promising talents?
I know that most often people go through:
Find a co-founder by YC
Or they match on the internet (Reddit)
I also liked the approach of one guy who started reaching out to graduates who had done their thesis on a given topic.
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CoSupport AI
In my experience, the best talents didn’t come from polished resumes or cold LinkedIn outreach, but through warm intros from friends at other early-stage startups
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@enesterenko I think that it is like you said. Those who are the best do not have to introduce on their own – other people will discover or pitch their work.
Scade.pro
@enesterenko 100% agree. I've discussed this topic with a couple of CEOs and founders, and all of them said that they only hire talent through a close circle of acquaintances. I think in startups, it's very important to trust the team.
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@enesterenko @nastassia_k It feels like you need to have only connections to be hired. 😬
There are quite a few options.
For example, recently a friend of mine asked me to post in the Build in Public community on X that he’s looking for a technical co-founder for a project. More than 15 people sent me direct messages, and there were some really good candidates.
Another way is at live entrepreneurship events. There are always people who want to become entrepreneurs.
I also think thematic groups on Reddit/LinkedIn are a good option, and I know people who have found partners this way.
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@byalexai Did he pick someone up from the Twitter connections?
@busmark_w_nika yes
i connected them
and they agree to start building together
Europe based both of them
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@byalexai That's quite a win! :) Great job Alex :)
Uxia
I'd start by reaching out to my own network, people I've worked with in the past, I know how they work and I trust. Talent I've seen in action is always my first choice.
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@borja_diazroig My network is pretty huge, so personally it is easier for me to find a new person (who pitches to me) rather than browsing a trillion contacts :D I mean, time-effective for me.
@borja_diazroig This is absolutely on point, did same thing not too long, reached out to people i have worked with to create something amazing
I have performed with the help of my project assistant through LinkedIn recruiter way back on February end till mid June, out of 5000+ profiles for finding niche developers for some projects in my own company, I’d DM those building projects, not just polishing resumes i.e., top talents who ship before they pitch by following creators teaching on X or YouTube, niche Discords, indie hacker forums, and open-source contributors on GitHub since only 50+ were true with what they exactly want and know how the things work and they have proper visibility on the platforms mentioned the first 5 platforms after taking thorough interviews . It took 3 months but it went with an eye opening search for candidates.
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@ajay27324 It seems that now you will find talent on social media rather than on some job forums and sites for recruitment. What are the things you consider (e.g. according to CV), whether to move on with the candidate?
I go through the CV within 3 step interview duration mentioned by 1). genuine engagement with their field (Career history Q&A) , 2). how they handle criticism/feedback (From specific domain technical and fundamental questions on real time basis), 3). collaboration evidence (side projects, any personal project or product founder etc., if any) . And the reason for all of the above tests is to give the acceptance and responsibility to provide best service to clients projects on which the sales & marketing have investigated every lead to find the relevant to the goals of the venture.
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@ajay27324 Ok, stop at point 2 – how can this be measured? How do you measure or reflect their feedback and decide whether you hire them or not?
@busmark_w_nika Thanks for asking thorough process among 3 tier as follows -
The 2nd step is majorly focused on how a candidate adapt, clarify, or reflect + the ability to pause, rethink, and refine the queries by providing solutions without ego to ascertain they're coachable, client-ready or some room for further clarifications for Do's and Don'ts, even with holding decade+ experience as creator or a gig with 5+ years of experience.
I have a network of global network of founders, Co-founders, CTOs, and creators in various domain-specific positions worked together within information technology industry, they join us in live interview (Q&A) and challenge the candidate with their earlier work or a scenario-based question with layered complexity.
API scaling would lead to latency under traffic spikes (a Backend development scenario)
The candidate showcases a revised solution using a queue-based system, showing reflection and agility rather than defensiveness at first saying the solution i presented is right, by sharing both scenarios as Case A (for AI integrated DevOps refinement) and Case B (for AI integrated backend resolutions),
Here, He has reframe his approach, showing best resolutions to query on domain specific of his own experience.
If a candidate ascertain above requirements or traits that no resume can capture, then i am good to go for further onboarding progress (a green flag for me..)
We used solvearn to find a developer for our breakup healing app (you can suggest equity based pay there)
I think LinkedIn, why not?
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@adventum it is still good platform, I just tried to widen my horrizons :)
@adventum I am active on Linkedin. So, many whom I hired reached me directly in Linkedin, synced up and got them onboarded. Referrals and job sites didnt help much
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@adventum @rameshkumar_astravue That's a good point. I am kinda shy, but will try to face it and will do it in the next attempt to meet my opportunity :)
Honestly, I’d start by looking within my close circle of friends. Even if they don’t have the most degrees, awards, or formal recognition, I know them for who they truly are, not just who they claim to be on paper. I’ve seen their skills, how they think, how they work, and whether they align with the values and needs of the project. That level of trust and personal insight can be more valuable than any resumé.
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@luiisvaronaa For refferals, they are really good, but many of them are already on some projects (really good people are already taken). 🥲
To me, the best approach is to keep an open mind and not over-index on any one source. Exclusively using linkedin's job posting feature is as limiting as only taking warm referrals from friends. There are really excellent people looking for a new opportunity in all kinds of places.
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@cholden_lewis I found LinkedIn useful, but lately spotted one company called "Confidential" that only scrapes/gathers data from applicants. I got it when I better analysed that naming "Confidential" :D
@busmark_w_nika LOL https://www.linkedin.com/company/confidential-career/ You weren't kidding!
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@cholden_lewis It happened :D 2M followers, that means that many people were scammed :D
Thesis, blog, side project — those show who’s serious. That’s who I reach out to.
I always learn from your thread
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@mirabellemorah Thank you! That's kind of you. 😇 I keep posting.