This page collects links to blog posts, articles and books about startup recruiting.
Companion pages compile readings on organizational structure/policies and company culture and early team issues. Related pages that may be of interest cover startup failure, how founders cope with the pressures of startup lifestyles, and startup mindset, i.e., the attitudes/values that improve success odds for entrepreneurs. Other pages listed to the right and also in the nav bar collect resources and insights related to lean startup logic/methods; product design; product management; business development; marketing; sales; funding; and startup business models, among other topics.
Recruiting: General Issues
- A primer on startup recruiting from my HBS colleague Julia Austin
- Rob Ousbey, COO at Distilled, describes effective tactics for recruiting inspired by inbound marketing
- Greylock talent partner Dan Portillo on recruiting best practices; Matrix's David Skok on the same topic
- Advice on startup recruiting from Dharmesh Shah and Sam Altman
- Courtesy of Business Insider, the deck that Greylock VP-Talent Dan Portillo uses to advise portfolio company CEOs on recruiting
- Videos of entrepreneurs/investors discussing startup recruiting: Dropbox's Drew Houston and Sequoia's Bryan Schreier; Union Square Ventures' Albert Wenger
- Recruiting best practices discussed by Fred Wilson of USV; Charlie O-Donnell of Brooklyn Bridge Ventures; Ben Yoskovitz of GoInstant; and David Beisel
- Chad Dickerson of Etsy on the link between recruiting and company culture.
- Ben Horowitz on why big company execs struggle in startups; Cindy Alvarez on how startups can hire the right "big company" employees
- First Round Review interviews NerdWallet VP-People Operations Flo Thinh on recruiting best practices
- First Round Review Interviews Wharton Prof. Adam Grant on how to hire "originals"
- Brian Balfour on startup hiring best practices
- Four-part post on startup hiring practices by Xobni founder/CTO Adam Smith
- Mark Suster on how to make reference calls
- Mark Suster on coaching new hires on how to exit their old job; Fred Wilson expands on the topic
Interviewing Best Practices
- Unconventional interview questions from Dharmesh Shah
- Interviewing guidelines from Cindy Alvarez
- Matrix's Dana Stalder on how to get the data you need when interviewing candidates
- First Round Review interviews Molly Graham of Quip on how to create a compensation system
- Robby Grossman on how to negotiate your startup job offer
- Andy Rachleff, Wealthfront CEO, gives guidance on how to make equity awards to startup employees; James Smith, attorney at LaBarge Weinstein, on the same topic
- Advice on recruiting engineers from Bryan Schreier, Young Entrepreneur Council's Matt Mickiewicz, developer Tom Blomfield, former Amazon VP Neil Roseman (interviewed by First Round Review), Ben Slater, and Jocelyn Goldfein writing for women2.0
- Derek Andersen of Startup Grind interviews Kleiner Perkins' Mike Abbott about recruiting engineers
- Tips on hiring developers from Dharmesh Shah of HubSpot; Avi Flombaumof the Flatiron School; Iris Shoor of Takipi; and a great Quora thread
- Mark Liu on how to find a good freelance developer; Nick Kishfy on non-technical questions to ask when hiring an development firm
- DaedTech's Erik Dietrich on how to create an environment that helps retain great developers;
- First Round Review interviews tech recruiters Michael Morell and Ali Behnam on how to hire a VP Engineering; Chris Dixon on the same topic
Recruiting for Product, Sales, and Other Functions
- Ken Norton on how to hire a product manager
- Jason Cohen on hiring startup marketing talent
- Mark Suster on hiring salespeople; Furqan Nazeeri on hiring your first salesperson
- Charlie O'Donnell of First Round Capital on reasons for hiring a design lead before a CTO or technical co-founder