Hashir Baig’s Post

We’ve hired 25 people over the course of our journey so far. After many successes and a few misses, this is the hiring philosophy that helped us build an all-star team: → We don’t hire for the sake of filling positions May seem obvious, but I’ve seen countless startups hire just because they can. → Hire people who complement you For example: if you're more system-driven, look for people who are more execution-driven. → Hire slow & fire fast We’ve had this happen on two occasions when things didn't seem to be working out, and we parted ways fast. → We prioritize friends and former colleagues of our team members For example: our engineer, Sally, recommended Ethan. They’ve worked together at previous jobs, and because we knew Sally was highly skilled and a stellar team player, we were confident in Ethan as well. No hiring system is perfect but it's safe to say this one is working pretty well for us.

An interesting topic came up yesterday in the #CTOGathering about deciding who to hire/how to structure your team when you're an early stage start-up... 👉 Skills gap analysis - what skills are going to bring the best results 👉 What do you want the future of the company to look like? Who is going to help you get there? 👉 What tasks are you ready to delegate? 👉 ROI - staff are one of the most expensive parts of the business - what is going to be your best return on investment? Founders and Tech Leaders - how can you make sure you're hiring the right skills at the right time? #Hiring #Techhiring #CTO

Hiring top-tier engineering talent can be hard. It’s even harder when you don't know what you're looking for. But, If you’re trying to build a world-class team, you need to be looking for world-class players. Here's what to look for: 1. Problem-solving skills 2. Curiosity 3. Ability to learn 4. Communication skills 5. Passion And if you are a startup, you need to be looking for something extra: 6. Flexibility 7. Willingness to work outside their comfort zone 8. Self-directed learning Remember, you might need to make compromises. But, don't compromise too much. Hire the best, or else someone else will.

The biggest mistake in tech leadership? Hiring based on skillset. 🤯 Skills are easy to teach. The right attitude is not. The best engineers I've ever worked with all had this in common: humility, a desire to learn, and the ability to work collaboratively. These traits aren't learned overnight. They're developed over time. So, when it comes to hiring your next software engineer, consider this: Skills matter, but the right attitude and the ability to work in a team will take them further than just technical prowess. This small shift can make all the difference in creating a high-performing tech team. #JetpackLabs #TechLeadershipInsights #BeyondSkills #TeamBuilding #GrowthMindset #EngineeringCulture #LeadershipGoals #HiringStrategy #ProfessionalDevelopment #InnovativeThinking

Ever felt the pressure to oversell a job to land the ideal candidate? Let's talk about why that might not be the best approach. As a recruiter or hiring manager, it's easy to fall into the trap of painting a picture-perfect image of our companies. But in reality, honesty trumps hype. 🤔 What if we focused on transparency instead of sugarcoating? How would that impact the hiring process? Nathan Sutter, Global Vice President of Engineering at CoderPad gives his thoughts in this clip. What do you think? Is there such a thing as too honest? #Hiring #TechRecruiting #HiringDevs

Hiring for the future is bull****. It's the worst advice I received when trying to run a scale-up. I'm sorry, but it is. I've made that mistake - I know a lot of other CEOs have too. You shouldn't hire someone because their core skills would translate well when something happens in 12-18 months. Because that means for the next year you aren't getting what your team needs. Hire who you need right NOW. > Do they have the right attitude? > What skills are they bringing to the team that you don't have today? > Where do you think they fit on the Trust vs Performance scale? Be honest with yourself about what you need NOW. Because if you aren't getting what you need now, I'm almost certain you'll be re-hiring for that role in less than 12 months.

I know it may be hard to hear but just because someone held the title of manager for 2-3 years, that does not mean they forgot how to design, architecture, or code. It just means they had to grow, hire, and coach a team of people while doing some of their "old" job, too. The hiring market has made a tremendous shift from wanting senior people to "manage and grow a team" to "design and build a platform." Ex-managers often have a keen understanding of what might be happening behind closed doors. They have been in those high stakes conversations regarding technical strategy of a platform. They know how to navigate the people side and use that to accelerate the technical side. Don't look at this group and think "oh, they haven't ridden a bike in a few years, they've totally forgotten it." If you look at someone with 10+ years experience as an individual contributor and think they can't do it again, that's pretty short sighted of you. If you're a hiring manager who is still looking at or doing code reviews, do you really think they weren't either? This is a rant and I'm sorry. I just spoke to someone who wants to go back to an IC role, has spent 50% of their time coding, and is hitting a brick wall. It's mind boggling. #hiring #tech #recruitment

Trends in Tech 📈 As a recruiter reading CVs & LinkedIn profiles daily you start to notice changes in tech before they become trends. Here’s a few I’m currently seeing; -      Engineering Managers moving back to being Staff Engineers -      The emergence of more CPTOs -      More Platform Engineering openings -      Less Engineering Manager roles Here are my takeaways with the above in mind; 📌 The market in '21 & '22 likely accelerated top performers into management 📌 Engineering & Product feel closer than ever before… also hiring one person for both CTO & CPO role can save some costs too 😉 📌 Enabling productivity & standardisation through Platform teams is on the rise 📌 Managers are being asked to manage more people and ICs are the priority in terms of hiring right now What's everyone else seeing?

One of the best ways for a startup to succeed is to hire a "COO for every visionary" – that is, for every experienced domain expert, hire someone who is a "high slope" generalist (as Nan Ransohoff would say) to run through walls and solve problems. It takes force of will to make hard things happen. You want to bring in someone who will do it all, who sees no task as too big or too small. However, it's often really hard to hire these types of people. You're looking for someone high potential who might not have the experience to show for it. As a result, it's really easy to get this type of hire wrong. Stripe was famous for getting this right, a lot. And it wasn't just Ivy League McKinsey people -- Stripe even hired people from Craigslist (!) who turned out to become stars in the industry. My bosses were unbelievable at finding the right people and separating the wheat from the chaff. Here’s what I’ve learned on how to do it: https://lnkd.in/gk5SUsdD

Innovation isn't confined to code or circuitry—it's as much about passion and creativity as any rock anthem. 🎸🔧 In the world of Commercial Vehicle manufacturing, where vehicle innovation is paramount, I've noticed a striking similarity between the rockstars of music and the engineers shaping our future. Both are driven by a deep passion for their craft, a relentless pursuit of excellence, and an unyielding desire to push boundaries. At PermanTech, we don't JUST look for technical expertise when hiring for our clients. We search for the rockstar engineers who bring that same fervor to vehicle technology and ITS. These are the individuals who don't just solve problems—they reimagine what's possible in commercial vehicles and intelligent transportation systems. As a headhunter with a focus on engineering and IPO-ready start-ups, I've seen firsthand how hiring individuals with a creative spark can catalyze innovation within a company. It's not just about filling a position; it's about finding someone who will add a new dimension to your business development and operations. Read more in my latest article "Rockstars and Engineers: What They Have in Common and Why It Matters for Your Next Hire" So, when you're ready to make your next hire, consider what makes a rockstar in your industry. Look beyond the resume for those who have a track record of thinking differently and who demonstrate a passion that parallels that of the musicians who captivate audiences. If you're in the midst of recruitment and looking to inject some of that rockstar energy into your team, let's connect. I'm here to help you find and retain the talent that will drive your company's innovation forward. Do you agree that passion is as crucial as skill in driving innovation? Share your thoughts below, and if this resonates with you, pass it on! #Innovation #Recruitment #Engineering#hiring