Hire Better and Faster: A Step-by-Step Hiring Strategy for Startups

Summary

• Early hires set the company’s trajectory and mistakes are costly, which is why it's crucial for startups to have a structured hiring strategy.
• Define roles by starting with objectives → skills → title/compensation, ensuring alignment with leadership upfront.
• Build a strong candidate pipeline by sourcing before posting jobs, using market mapping and company lists to target quality talent.
• Improve outreach and interviews with sell-first messaging, functional questions, and scorecards to assess fit quickly.
• Close top candidates faster by setting expectations early and delivering offers through live conversations, not email, to avoid miscommunication.

Every organization wants to hire the best people. But for startups, it’s even more critical: Early hires dictate the entire trajectory of the business, making the process both high-stakes and uniquely challenging. 

With the help of Marc Okeon, GM of our full-time recruitment practice, we’ve put together a hiring strategy for startups—sharing the core principles our team has used to help companies close roles quickly and with the right people.

Marc brings over twenty years of experience, both as a marketing executive and retained search recruiter. He has seen (and solved) virtually every recruiting scenario. His process has been refined through wins, missteps, and the lessons provided along the way.

Let’s talk about role definition, pipeline development, candidate outreach and interviewing, and last but certainly not least—how to close top talent.

Prefer to learn by watching? Check out Marc’s webinar on the topic.

Defining the role: start with objectives, then skills

Order of operations matters when defining a role. The most common mistake, according to Marc, is starting with title and compensation, then backing into the job description.

Instead, think of it in this sequence: objectives → skills → title and comp.

As you move through these steps, secure buy-in early and often from anyone with veto power (e.g., your CEO). The last thing you want is to craft what you think is the perfect role, only for it to be overturned later. 

Step 1: Objectives 

A candidate’s previous achievements are useful indicators, but what ultimately matters most is what they will accomplish for your company.

That’s why the first step is to answer the question: What does success look like in this role? 

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Related reading: 8 mistakes to avoid when hiring growth marketers

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Marc advises starting with clear, measurable objectives for the role: Clarity upfront saves you months later.

Step 2: Skills 

Clearly delineate hard skills (e.g., channels, tools, SQL) versus soft skills (e.g., ownership, adaptability). Also distinguish between non-negotiables and nice-to-haves. In the end, aim to have around five non-negotiables on your list—a number that ensures clarity without creating an impossible wishlist.

Step 3: Title and compensation 

Once you’ve nailed your objectives and skills, pressure-test the title and comp.

If your requirements point to a director but you only have budget for a senior manager, either uplevel the role or reduce scope.

At this stage, Marc focuses on two key questions:

1. Given the requirements, how many years of experience does the role realistically demand?
2. Considering company size and leveling, what title will attract the right talent? 

Misalignment on the second question is the number one reason roles stay open for months longer than necessary, so you need to get it right upfront.

Building your candidate pipeline

Once you know exactly who you’re looking for, it’s time to go find them. 

Source before posting

At this point, it’s just a matter of posting on Indeed and LinkedIn Jobs, and letting the applications roll in, right? Not so fast.

Before posting a role, Marc typically sources passive candidates first, and he recommends this approach to most startups. Posts can trigger applicant floods, a lot of it driven by AI tools, and screening those applications is both time-consuming and often low-signal. 

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Related reading: Resourcing strategy: Hiring full-time employees, agencies & freelancers

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In one instance, a Right Side Up client experienced over 600 (mostly unqualified) applications in less than 48 hours.

Done properly, sourcing is not only faster but produces higher-quality candidates.

How to source effectively

To build the right candidate pipeline, our team uses a multi-step process that consists of strategic mapping (identifying the variables that are likely to produce your talent), company targeting, and thorough profile analysis. So, yes, some elbow grease is required, but this sourcing process is still far more efficient (and effective) than sifting through hundreds of inbound applications.

Reaching out to candidates and “selling” them on the role

Once you’ve identified your set of top candidates, you need to reach out to them—a seemingly simple step that’s surprisingly easy to get wrong.

Use tactical outreach

Your outreach materials need to catch the prospect’s eye. This goes beyond messaging; it’s about packaging the opportunity the right way. In Marc’s experience, this is where startups either win or lose. Long blocks of text can come across as spammy, while a well-designed sheet communicates value right away and usually improves response rates.

Sell first, assess second

Your pitch sheet should immediately answer the most important question to a passive candidate: Why should I care? 

So, show them why it’s an exciting opportunity. Highlight:

• Addressable market
• Favorable industry trends
• Financial backing
• Growth figures

If you’re struggling to identify those selling points, think back to what convinced you to join the company.

Remove barriers to entry

Many companies who include gates for inbound applicants (e.g., assessments) don’t think to remove them for passive candidates. They need to. You’ve already pre-screened the candidates—any additional hurdles will only hurt conversions.

Speaking of which, ensure frictionless scheduling by including a Calendly (or equivalent) link in both your message and sheet.

Interviewing and assessing candidates

Exciting news: A candidate has clicked on your Calendly and booked some time! Now comes the interview process, which can feel as intimidating for interviewers and interviewees alike. 

Marc offers five key pointers. 

Need a refresher on interview best practices? We can help you structure better conversations around clear objectives, design scorecards, and ask functional questions that get past the fluff—small tweaks that can make a big difference. Just reach out!

5 interview best practices for hiring managers

1. Restate objectives upfront: Keep the conversation focused by opening with the three key goals for the role
2. Skip the generic “walk me through your background”: It burns time. Replace with targeted, intentional prompts instead.
3. Also avoid yes or no questions: Instead, get meaningful context by asking about situations, actions, and results.
4. Build a light rubric or scorecard: This can be as simple as a green/yellow/red assessment across critical objectives and skills.
5. Divide and conquer: Spread assessment areas across interviewers. Don’t re-test the same technical skills multiple times. Keep interviews on the shorter side (30-45 minutes) to increase throughput.

Negotiating and closing the deal

Once the interview stage is over, you’re almost at the finish line—emphasis on “almost.” Many otherwise smooth hiring processes fall apart at the offer stage due to miscommunication. 

Closing top talent is where even great processes break down. We use a set of tested strategies to align expectations early and make the offer stage smooth. Done right, this increases acceptance rates dramatically.

Ensure clarity from the beginning 

Preventing last-minute surprises begins well before the offer stage. From the get-go, set clear expectations and be transparent with candidates about the role, scope, and comp structure.

During interviews, ask functional questions that help you understand what truly matters to them, whether that’s base salary, equity, work-life balance, or career growth. By the time you’re ready to extend an offer, their priorities should be crystal clear, allowing you to construct the perfect offer narrative.

Talk on the phone; avoid written communication

Miscommunication is much more likely to happen in written exchanges, so avoid texting or emailing when it comes to something as big as sending an offer. Instead, call the candidate or set up a quick Zoom.

Tone, body language, and the chance to address any confusion on the spot go a long way in creating trust and excitement—and this can be the deciding factor in closing the deal.

Ready to level up your hiring strategy?
Our team has helped countless startups build world-class teams from the ground up. Whether you need support defining roles, sourcing top talent, closing key hires, or all of the above, we’ll help you avoid costly mistakes and secure the right people faster. Get in touch today!

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