standing out in the q1 hiring frenzy

open role: commercial ae x9

• series d w/ $400M in funding and $100M in arr

• data platform based in the bay with an office in nyc

• hiring 9 commercial reps and 4 mid market reps

• $200-250k ote + equity with 80% of reps over quota

interested? apply here

active candidate: vp of sales

• scaled from $0 to $30M+ 2x and $100M 1x

• fully remote, looking to stay remote

• reporting to the ceo, leading entire sales org

• $500k ote + equity but flexible

want to chat with them? email me

get ahead in Q1 hiring

i’ve talked about this a bit over the past month or so, but q1 hiring is always a mad house and if you didn’t get a jump start on your hiring/interviewing in december and through the holiday break, you’re starting from well behind the line.

whether you’re adding headcount, backfilling a role or interviewing yourself, the job market feels like a planet fitness during the first week of january.

you’re no longer competing with the usual suspects. it’s you against everybody. and i mean… everybody

hiring managers:

the market doesn’t wait up for you and i can assure you that top reps in particular won’t.

“wE aRe wAiTiNg tO fiNaLiZe hEaDcOuNt” lol

you have to remember that as a hiring manager, you’re just not that special. your product can be great and your org can be impressive but in the grand scheme of things, you’re dime a dozen. and that’s not a bad thing. but let’s say you’re truly elite and top tier… you’re still one of a few dozen in your city that are just as impressive.

so if you’re going to stand out, you have to first recognize you’re behind the ball. but here’s how you can get ahead.

1) speed to market: be faster than your competition at moving candidates forward. this isn’t about shorting your interview process, it’s about eliminating as much time as possible between each step. if you’re leaving a week in between candidate interviews, you’re losing.

2) set expectations: if you’re expecting candidates to showcase xyz skills, just tell them. don’t expect them to know how to impress you. every hiring manager expects something different and simultaneously thinks it’s standard practice.. it’s not. just tell them what you expect to see in order to be impressed and watch your interview begin to go so much better.

3) be realistic: don’t expect candidates to showcase something you don’t have yourself. the hiring managers i know that are the pickiest with tenure, have horrible tenure themselves. we are all just people floating on a tiny rock in the abyss in one of trillions of galaxies. it’s not that serious. don’t lower your bar, just level set it.

4) sell sell sell: you need to sell your opportunity. this is not a buyers market. you are not in control like you thought you were in 2023. you have the least amount of leverage you’ve had in almost 5 years. candidates have taken back control and have options again. while the news and desperate linkedin posts may have you thinking everyone is unemployed, i can assure you top performers are doing just fine.

5) pay up: you wanna close that founding ae? pay em’ like you want them. you can’t expect top tier candidates to take mid-tier pay. if you’re noticing a trend that “everyone is so expensive”, then maybe you’re just cheap.

candidates:

while the market is shifting toward a candidate market, in some circles, that doesn’t mean you should act like it. chances are you’re good, not great. any ego you bring into your interviews will have a ten-fold disadvantage.

my 2 cents for you:

1) speed to market: act like you want it. i talk to candidates all the time who are unemployed and when i go to schedule them an interview, they’re only available for 7 minutes 3 weeks from now. if you’re active, act like it. make yourself available. be willing to be inconvenienced for the things you want.

2) set expectations: set expectations early and reset them often. if you’re getting to the end of an offer and you’re way off on details, that’s on you. they’re not going to set your expectations for you. it’s on you to set boundaries on your needs and to re-enforce (or pre-close) them throughout the process.

3) be realistic: improper expectations will only ever lead to disappointment. a healthy self evaluation on where you sit in the market will do you wonders and imo will take you further in time.

4) sell yourself: know why you’re good and know how to communicate it. i had a candidate recently say, “i don’t owe them anything.” umm ok, and they don’t owe you a job? you gotta give them a reason to want you. your smile and self obsession aren’t reason enough. you need to have data that proves you’re good. if you don’t have any, you’re not getting a job worth keeping.

5) take the money: i’ve seen more deals blow up over $5k than i have over $50k. if it’s a good/fair offer and you want to join the company, don’t let your pride over a few bucks a paycheck get in the way. sure you can counter, but don’t let it be the reason you decline. you wanted $200k and they offered $195k, just take the damn job.

TLDR:

this isn’t that complicated.

q1 hiring is a mad house and if you want to stand out, you have to actually try. how do you try?

1) drop the ego

2) put your best foot forward

3) don’t suck

4) call me if you need advice

music for your friday