How a 'Series A' Startup Hired their Dream Software Engineers in 14 Days
Pienso is an 18-person AI Startup in New York.
They have rare product-market fit for AI enterprise solutions.
Customers include successful 5-year relationships with Sky and the U.S. government.
They have partnerships with Microsoft, Dell & Graphcore.
As an MIT spinoff, they have strong academia connections.
Pienso needed the best engineers.
And they needed them quickly.
They began by advertising the roles, which resulted in 800 applications.
They spent hours reviewing the applications.
Some interviews happened.
No hires were made.
After establishing fit, we implemented Talented Hires' 14-Day Talent Sprint for Pienso
Day 1
Pienso brand assets created, compensation benchmarked, compelling job descriptions authored, sprint milestones agreed
Day 2
Trello talent pipeline built with the 100 best engineers, available for Pienso review
Uncovered 37% more candidates by mapping across all social channels
Day 3
Personalized video messages sent to each candidate
1-2-1 outreach achieves 50x engagement compared with generic recruiter messages
Days 4-9
Candidates headhunted
Behavioural & technical competency video assessments
Talented Hires' recruiters hold CS degrees for more in-depth technical screening
Daily updates on search progression
Scorecards collated and shortlist presented
Day 10
Pienso met the 3 engineers most aligned with their precise technical and cultural requirements
Day 14
Offer accepted by preferred candidate, Andrew Casey
Pienso hired 200% faster than their competitors
Onwards
Increase speed to impact of new hire with Talented Hires' seamless onboarding
Evolving partnership maintains Pienso's position ahead of their competition
Placement retention is assured with a 12-month free replacement guarantee
Pienso Is Now Flying
We hired 2 exceptional software engineers who enhanced Pienso's AI engineering capabilities.
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Launching 2 Exciting New Products
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Secured $10M Series A Funding
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Ensured Long-Term Growth
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Signed New Customers Worth Millions of Dollars
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Partnered with us to accelerate growth to 'Series B'
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Saved Significant Time & Effort with Our 14-Day Talent Sprint
Building the Right Team is Essential for Success
Competitive Advantage
Attracting top digital talent quickly gives you an edge over the competition.
Validate Your Big Vision
Accelerate realization of your vision with a team who share your passion.
Investor Expectations
Deliver on your promises to investors by hiring A-players who drive significant growth.
Uncompromising Quality
Ensure you hire A-players quickly without sacrificing standards.
Recruitment Can Be Frustrating
More Challenging
Finding and hiring the right talent is more challenging than it should be.
Too Expensive
Recruitment takes too long and costs more than it should do.
Mediocre Applicants
Sifting through hundreds of applications only to find candidates who don't fit.
Misaligned Candidates
Candidates' technical skills or values don't align with your company's vision.
Advertising Does Not Work
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Too Many Applications
When you've exhausted your network, thanks to advances in AI-assistance, advertising often results in lots of unqualified applications.
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Unsuitable Applications
Reviewing hundreds of applications takes many hours. And you are no further forward because none of the candidates are suitable.
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The Reality
The reality is the best people rarely apply. The best people are being headhunted.
You Can Solve This Yourself
You can identify and reach out to the best people.
Let’s look at our approach and some of the tools we use.
($1,200 / year)
Define the type of company your target engineer will work for and build a list of companies that match the target size and industry.
($12,400 / year)
Search across multiple social channels like LinkedIn, GitHub, Discord, Slack, Twitter, and Hugging Face to find engineers with the right technical skills.
($10,800 / year)
Leverage LinkedIn's current data to supplement the talent pool from SeekOut and run boolean searches to identify additional candidates.
($4,950 / year)
Obtain and validate personal email addresses to effectively reach out to your target candidates.
You've invested $34,150 in tools
… what's next
It takes 3 or 4 days to get setup on LinkedIn - the same for SeekOut.
Then the process needs to be managed at each step.
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Chase Candidates Who Haven’t Replied
Don't let potential candidates slip away. Follow up with those who haven't responded to ensure you don't miss out on great talent.
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Send LinkedIn Connection Requests
Expand your network and connect with potential candidates on LinkedIn to stay updated on their professional journey.
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Answer Questions About Your Role & Company
Provide clear and concise answers to candidates' inquiries about your role and company to help them make informed decisions.
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Send Further Information
Share additional details about your role, company, or recruitment process to keep candidates engaged and informed.
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Handle Email Replies
Efficiently manage and respond to the email correspondence from candidates to maintain effective communication and a positive experience.
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Schedule Interviews
Coordinate and schedule interviews with candidates to move them forward efficiently in the hiring process and assess their suitability for the role.
And you will likely still have candidates who:
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Don't have the technical skills to match their resume
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Don't align with the culture and values of your company
Technical skills and cultural fit can only be really be checked by interviewing each candidate.
Now You Have 2 Choices
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You can roll the dice, purchase the tools and invest significant time trying to do it yourself with no guarantee of an outcome
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You can see if an expert recruiter offers you sufficient reassurance they can rapidly attract and recruit your dream team
Not All Recruiters Are Equal - Why Some Disappoint
Recruiting Firms can be a Real Let Down
Chances are, you've heard of experiences with recruiting firms that weren't exactly enjoyable.
The industry benchmark for contingent searches is a 20% success rate.
Only 1 in 5 searches are completed!
Don't Settle for Mediocrity
Most recruiting firms are unwilling to invest the necessary resources for challenging searches.
If you need niche skills, want to stay within budget, face competition, or are relatively unknown, a contingent agency might not be the best fit for you.
A Refreshing Alternative
We offer a different approach.
Say hello to a partner who takes time to truly understand your needs and deploys 20 years' expertise to deliver exceptional talent solutions.
Why Partner With Talented Hires?
20 Years' Experience
Recruited for over 200 exciting companies across 2 decades
2,000 Digital Hires
We've made over 2,000 successful digital hires
Insight Partners
One of only 11 firms globally approved by Insight Partners
Delivering Competitive Advantage at Every Step
Access 37% more candidates with social mapping
Saving considerable time meeting only the 3 best candidates
Significantly reduced cost per hire with a 20% fee discount
Eliminates the need to juggle multiple agencies
1-2-1 video outreach achieves 50x improvement in response rates
Increase speed to impact of new hires with our seamless onboarding
Hire 200% quicker than competitors with our 14-day Talent Blueprint
Evolving partnership maintains your position ahead of competitors
12-month free replacement guarantee
3:1 interview to placement saves your team invaluable time
Candidate drivers are uncovered to ensures offers are accepted
Long-term partnership with transparent progress reports
What Our Customers Say
Do You Offer a Guarantee?
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Commitment to Success
We understand the importance of this decision and are committed to your long-term success.
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No-Risk Partnership
If we agree to partner, you’ll be blown away by our service. We stake our fee on it.
If the experience of working with us on your first hire has not blown you away, keep your new team member without paying our search fee.
You also keep the redesigned job descriptions, hiring strategy, culture insight videos and interviewing scorecards.
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12-Month Guarantee
All placements come with a 12-month free replacement guarantee to ensure your long term satisfaction.
What Does Partnership Feel Like?
With our 14-Day Talent Sprint, you’ll see results within 24 hours:
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12-Month Talent Strategy
Clear objectives to proactively recruit and retain the best digital talent
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Enhanced Employer Brand
Communicating your unique mission and vision
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Refined Job Descriptions
Captivating & performance-based attracting top talent
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Sprint Milestones
First hiring sprint milestone agreed
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Need Alignment
Resume skill and compensation benchmark
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First Offer in Two Weeks
From the moment our partnership begins, we're committed to swiftly aligning with your urgent hiring needs.
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14-Day Talent Sprint
Accelerates your journey to market leadership leveraging lessons from 20 years and 2,000 digital hires.
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Innovation Focus
We handle the complexities of hiring so you can focus on innovation.
FAQs
How do you ensure cultural alignment in such a short timeframe?
Our methodology combines deep industry insight and a tailored approach. We fully understand your mission and vision so we can match aligned candidates.
Our process effectively uncovers candidate drivers. Combined with behavioural competency questions, we match candidate and company ambitions and values.
How do you effectively assess technical expertise? Some recruiters lack technical know-how
We are a fairly rare breed in tech recruitment. Our recruiters all hold CS degrees. Our CEO, Rich, has a First Class Computer Science degree and still codes. We have a deeper understanding than some others enabling us to better evaluate technical expertise.
What happens if a placement doesn't work out?
While our rigorous process aims to eliminate this, we understand recruitment complexities. We offer a 12-month success guarantee with a free replacement, underscoring our commitment to your long-term success.
Can smaller startups or those with tighter budgets afford your services?
We're aware of financial constraints. Our pricing model offers flexibility and predictability, focusing on exceptional value. We see our model as an investment in your startup's growth and stability.
How do you differentiate from other recruitment agencies?
Unlike other agencies focusing on filling easy vacancies, we partner with tech startups to strategically build their teams. Our unique 14-Day Sprint Blueprint refined over 2,000 hires, personalized video engagement strategies, and long-term partnership support system set us apart. We become an extension of your team fully invested in your long-term success. Furthermore, our deep understanding of the tech startup landscape and commitment to a partnership model provides an unmatched level of service and success in the industry.
How quickly will we see results from our partnership?
With our 14-Day Talent Sprint, you will see results within 24 hours, including a 12-month talent strategy and the first 100-candidate talent pool. From the moment our partnership begins, we're committed to swiftly aligning with your urgent hiring needs, with the first offer made in just two weeks.
Get Support Now
1
Initial Contact
Explore the 14-Day Talent Sprint with Talented Hires' founder and CEO, Rich Roberts
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Assessment Process
We'll assess your needs and provide tailored support options based on your requirements.
3
Action Steps
Receive guidance on your specific challenges and how we can help you overcome them.