YC
Startup Hiring Advice from Lever CEO Sarah Nahm with Holly Liu
@ Y Combinator
07/10/19
Takeaways
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Sarah Nahm
07/10/19
@ Y Combinator
I never saw myself becoming a founder or CEO; I grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, far from Silicon Valley, and was more focused on social justice during my youth.
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Sarah Nahm
07/10/19
@ Y Combinator
My time at Stanford was pivotal; it was the first class to start with Facebook, which changed perceptions about young people being able to innovate and bring game-changing ideas to market.
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Sarah Nahm
07/10/19
@ Y Combinator
Leaving Google wasn't about starting a company; it was about personal growth and experiencing new things, which eventually led me to work with early-stage teams.
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Sarah Nahm
07/10/19
@ Y Combinator
The biggest challenge in starting Lever was figuring out what we were going to do and ensuring we had the right people around us to believe in our vision.
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Sarah Nahm
07/10/19
@ Y Combinator
In 2012, we recognized that talent was the key driver of competitive differentiation and innovation, which shaped our approach to building Lever.
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Sarah Nahm
07/10/19
@ Y Combinator
Startups should proactively recruit rather than just post jobs and wait for applicants; hiring is a critical strategy that can make or break a startup.
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Sarah Nahm
07/10/19
@ Y Combinator
Proactive recruitment means reaching out to potential candidates, similar to how you wouldn't just wait for customers to find your product; you need to actively engage your network. I believe in proactively reaching out to potential candidates on platforms like LinkedIn, meetups, and GitHub to find strong fits for your company.
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Sarah Nahm
07/10/19
@ Y Combinator
In our engineering organization, 81% of our team was proactively sourced, demonstrating that you can connect with great candidates anywhere.
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Sarah Nahm
07/10/19
@ Y Combinator
Investing in relationships with potential hires pays off; candidates who are familiar with your team and culture are hired 35% faster than those meeting you for the first time.
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Sarah Nahm
07/10/19
@ Y Combinator
As a founder, you should spend about 50% of your time on hiring because it's crucial for your startup's success.
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Sarah Nahm
07/10/19
@ Y Combinator
Encourage your team to share their authentic stories about why they joined the company, as this can significantly impact your hiring efforts.
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Sarah Nahm
07/10/19
@ Y Combinator
To assess a candidate's career motivations, simply ask them about their past decisions and what they hope to achieve in their next role.
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Sarah Nahm
07/10/19
@ Y Combinator
I focus on motivation fit in the early stages of hiring, as it is key to making the best hires and avoiding the worst ones.
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Sarah Nahm
07/10/19
@ Y Combinator
Behavioral interviewing is essential for early-stage startups, as it helps you understand candidates' past experiences and how they align with your company's needs.
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Sarah Nahm
07/10/19
@ Y Combinator
We use a career trajectory interview process to allow candidates to share their career stories, which helps us understand their growth and fit for our company.
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Sarah Nahm
07/10/19
@ Y Combinator
When hiring remotely, it's important to build a culture that supports remote work effectively, considering how information flows and how meetings are structured.
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Sarah Nahm
07/10/19
@ Y Combinator
Writing job postings that focus on the impact of the role rather than just required skills attracts a more diverse range of candidates and clarifies what you're looking for.
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Sarah Nahm
07/10/19
@ Y Combinator
The biggest roadblock to making hiring more inclusive is the misconception that software alone can solve the problem without addressing deeper cultural issues. More companies are increasingly prioritizing diversity and inclusion, recognizing it as essential rather than optional.
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Sarah Nahm
07/10/19
@ Y Combinator
At Lever, diversity and inclusion have been integral to our culture since day one, even though it took time to diversify in various dimensions.
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Sarah Nahm
07/10/19
@ Y Combinator
The biggest roadblock to inclusive hiring is the misconception that companies must first reflect diverse demographics before they can create an inclusive culture.
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Sarah Nahm
07/10/19
@ Y Combinator
It's crucial to ensure your company culture is inclusive before investing in diverse hiring, as hiring diverse talent without an inclusive environment can lead to failure.
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Sarah Nahm
07/10/19
@ Y Combinator
Founders must recognize that they can lead their companies to foster a strong diversity and inclusion culture, regardless of their own demographics.
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Sarah Nahm
07/10/19
@ Y Combinator
Inclusion at a small company means being proactive about creating a culture where everyone feels comfortable discussing diversity and inclusion issues.
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Sarah Nahm
07/10/19
@ Y Combinator
At Lever, we encourage open dialogue about diversity and inclusion, allowing employees to bring up issues and collaboratively find solutions.
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Sarah Nahm
07/10/19
@ Y Combinator
Lever's onboarding program includes a session on diversity and inclusion, emphasizing its importance from the very start of an employee's journey.
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Sarah Nahm
07/10/19
@ Y Combinator
Building a culture of inclusion involves creating shared language and tools for employees to discuss differences without resorting to stereotypes.
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Sarah Nahm
07/10/19
@ Y Combinator
The key to a strong company culture lies in hiring the right people and recognizing their contributions, which ultimately leads to better results.