Recruiting for a start up is always going to come with some challenges, particularly when you’re hiring leaders. It’s important to keep in mind that those challenges–and the right type of leaders–are going to vary depending on what stage you’re at in the growth of your company. Luckily, we’ve got the scoop on how to best to hire no matter what the stage of your company. Rivi Partner Sam Wholley breaks it down on Fast Company
(Fast Company) How to Recruit the Right Leaders for Each Stage of Your Startup
If you only recruit for the long term, you’ll be short on the people who can actually take you there.
By: Sam Wholley
It’s no cakewalk recruiting leaders for your startup, especially when its needs keep changing. A Series A company has different problems to solve than a Series B or Series C company, which in turn have different problems to solve than those of Series D and beyond.
Of course, funding rounds don’t always match up with the evolutionary stages of a growing company and its products, but they can help you map out a strong recruitment plan.
Childhood
Think of Series A as the childhood years. You need someone with a certain hunger—hungry to solve problems, hungry to build, and in some cases hungry to recruit and manage other people. You might want to look for a “step-up” candidate who hasn’t served at the level you’re recruiting for, but shows great promise.