Startup Recruitment Failures

This episode discusses the critical importance of shaping roles before hiring. Our guest, Daryn Edgar - CEO & Mentor for ScaleUps - shares insights from her experiences, highlighting the challenges faced when hiring individuals with varying experience levels and the stress that can arise in new leadership roles. The conversation also touches on the differences between hiring from startups versus scale-ups and the significance of assessing candidate fit through meaningful conversations.

In this episode of Startup Recruitment Failures, the host discusses with Vykintas Maknickas - CEO of Saily - about his journey of transitioning from a Product Owner at NordVPN - the second Lithuanian unicorn - to a CEO of the Spinoff - Saily. Vykintas shares the challenges of building a new product and the importance of hiring strategies in early-stage startups. The conversation delves into cultural fit, recruitment failures, and lessons learned from rapid hiring. The guest shares insights on navigating team dynamics, integrating cultures in new ventures, and competing in a crowded market, concluding with key advice for aspiring founders.

In this episode, host Indre Kaikare engages with Laura Galdikene, a Principal Economist at ConnectPay, to discuss the evolving landscape of recruitment and the significant challenges posed by an aging workforce, the role of AI, and the importance of lifelong learning. They explore how societal changes, technological advancements, and shifting employee expectations are reshaping the recruitment process and workplace dynamics.

In this episode, Indre Kaikare interviews Marijus Andrijauskas, a seasoned entrepreneur and Partner at FIRSTPICK VC fund. They discuss the complexities of startup dynamics, including the founder-investor relationship, the challenges of fundraising, and the importance of co-founding teams. Marijus shares insights from his extensive experience in both entrepreneurship and venture capital, emphasizing the need for alignment among founders and the significance of understanding the fundraising process. The conversation also touches on the emotional toll of startup life, the necessity of preparation, and the critical role of ambition in achieving success.

In this conversation, Ben Fletcher, Co-Founder and CEO of The Mothership, discusses the evolution of recruitment, emphasizing the importance of hiring processes that prioritize mindset over traditional metrics like CVs and years of experience. He shares insights on the impact of AI in recruitment, the challenges of bias, and the unique anti-bias hiring process implemented at The Mothership. Ben also reflects on past recruitment mistakes and offers valuable advice for startup founders on creating a personalized and effective hiring experience.

Imagine reaching $30M in turnover in 3 years and the board asks you to leave your startup. This happened to Christophe Garnier - CEO & Co-Founder at Upflex. They had an $80M offer on the table from Groupon - to sell the company. But they got into a disagreement. Solo Founders don't face such situations. But does it mean working alone is better than having co-founders? In this episode, the differences between being a solo founder and having co-founders are discussed.

In this conversation, Indre Kaikare interviews Juozas Sargunas, Co-Founder of MELP - an HR tech startup. They discuss the challenges faced in startup recruitment and sales strategies, particularly focusing on the lessons learned from failures in cold outreach and the importance of building relationships in B2B sales. Juozas shares insights on adapting sales approaches, and the significance of empathy in sales, and offers advice for new startup founders based on his experiences.

In this conversation, Alex, the founder and CTO of Joiner App, shares his experiences and insights on startup recruitment, the challenges of hiring in a tech environment, and the importance of learning from failures. He discusses the innovative approach of the Joiner App, which focuses on future events rather than past activities, and emphasizes the need for quick decision-making in hiring and product development. Alex also reflects on his own hiring mistakes and the lessons learned, particularly in marketing strategies and the significance of understanding acquisition costs.

In this conversation, Indre Kaikare interviews Luis Valente, CEO and Co-Founder of iLoF, a deep-tech health company focused on personalized medicine. They discuss the challenges of recruitment in deep tech, emphasizing the importance of cultural fit over technical skills, the need for compassion in handling relocations and terminations, and the significance of aligning incentives within the team. Valente shares insights from his experiences, including the necessity of learning from recruitment failures and the value of building relationships before hiring. He concludes with advice for young entrepreneurs about the realities of startup life and the importance of being passionate about the problem they are solving.

In this episode, host Indre Kaikare interviews Andrius Bogdanovicius, the founder of CTO2B. With over 20 years of experience in the financial technology sector, Andrius shares his journey and insights on recruitment challenges faced while building his startup. He recounts a notable experience of scaling a company to 300 employees in just seven months, highlighting the importance of evaluating candidates' soft skills for team compatibility rather than solely focusing on hard skills. Andrius discusses the high attrition rates experienced after this rapid hiring phase, attributing some issues to the pressure of quick recruitment that compromised cultural fit. He emphasizes the importance of a disciplined hiring process and the need for more thorough evaluations as the company grows. Overall, Andrus stresses the significance of self-belief in leadership and the importance of trusting intuition during the hiring process, acknowledging how the shift to remote work and video interviews presented unique challenges compared to in-person meetings. The discussion wraps up with valuable insights for new founders navigating the recruitment landscape.

What separates the great leaders from the rest?  For Margaret Sherer, my guest on this week’s episode of Startup Recruitment Failures, it comes down to having a growth mindset instead of a fixed one. Margaret is a fractional CMO and entrepreneur and formerly worked at both Google and Microsoft. She has so much wisdom to offer when it comes to building out a great early team and scaling it successfully.  Early-stage founders, this is an episode not to miss! 

In this week’s episode of Startup Recruitment Failures, I’m joined by Ana Jakimovska, former CEO of Culture Trip to discuss the challenges of leadership and entrepreneurship. We covered a lot of ground, including:  ↳ What it’s like to lead a company after a management buyout ↳ The importance of taking calculated risks, no matter your career ↳ The devastating reality of having to scale down a team by 90% ↳ Working out whether or not you have what it takes to be an entrepreneur.

It was a pleasure to interview Nicolas Buteau, former Head of Recruiting for @Uber (EMEA), for the first episode of the new season of Startup Recruitment Failures.   We discussed:  ↳ Why hiring managers want to hire people ‘like them’ ↳ The problems this can cause ↳ (and how AI can potentially help avoid it) As well as some practical tips for testing the culture fit of prospective employees, and much more. 

In this episode, get ready to gain invaluable insights on overcoming the challenges of EU bureaucracy and making the most of your startup's EU funding. Drawing from his extensive experience, Bruno Miguel Pires dives into the critical factors startups must consider when applying for EU funding.

In this episode, we interview Miguel Morgado, the CEO of Hunter. We delve into the fascinating world of hiring strategies and the challenges faced in securing investors in the US. Discover the untold stories of hiring failures and the determined efforts of Hunter to attract investment opportunities.

With an astounding track record of personally hiring over 700 individuals, Kunal Gupta is a true luminary in the world of talent acquisition. In this captivating conversation, Kunal Gupta delves deep into the realm of hiring, shedding light on the paramount importance of agility in today's fast-paced business landscape.

SheerME is a revolutionary platform that has disrupted the beauty and wellness industry and has recently launched in Brazil. During our conversation with Miguel, we explored the intricacies of hiring and recruitment in the startup ecosystem, particularly in contrast to corporate environments. Miguel provided valuable insights on the significance of cultural fit and how it can significantly impact team dynamics.

In our latest podcast episode, we had the pleasure of featuring Edmundas Balčikonis, the co-CEO at TripAdd, a leading digital marketplace for all travel-related needs. During the episode, Edmundas shared his expertise on a wide range of topics, including the unstoppable impact of AI and the importance of building a strong professional network. He also highlighted the value of hackathons in fostering innovation and shared his insights on the hiring process.

In this podcast episode, we talk with Bernardo Tavares, CTO and Co-Founder at Lever.tax and mentor at Startup Lisboa. He shares his insights on avoiding burnout, building tech teams, hiring entrepreneurs, and the importance of connecting with candidates during the interview process. With a focus on growth and mentorship, Bernardo's experience both as a mentor and founder provides valuable lessons for anyone looking to build a successful startup.

In this episode, Steven shares valuable insights on overhiring, leaving a lasting impression on candidates, and the importance of grit in individuals working for small early-stage startups. He also emphasizes the power of clear and transparent communication to make hiring processes more efficient. So if you want to level up your hiring game and build a strong team for your business, give this episode a listen now!

Whether you are looking to improve your career, relationships, or overall well-being, this episode provides valuable insights on how to unlock your full potential through personal growth. We had a conversation with Briony McKenzie, the Founder of Untapped. Briony shared her personal story of transitioning from corporate law into coaching and entrepreneurship.

In this episode, we talk about how important it is for candidates to be honest about whether they would be happy and prosperous working in a small company. Small companies often require employees to be flexible, wear multiple hats, and work closely with a tight-knit team. Ultimately, both the candidate and the company should be invested in ensuring a good fit before making a hiring decision.

For the 28th episode of the Startup Recruitment Failures podcast, we sat down with João de Sousa Aroso, Founder and CEO at Leadzai. He talked about the differences between generations with regard to how they perceive their career development and specifically about Portuguese societal dynamics.

It's critical to work at the same pace when you're in a tiny, early-stage startup. Speed delivery and collaboration are the keys to success in this stage. In this episode, we discussed it with Pavel Racu, Co-Founder at Flair - a powerful AI tool for analyzing people's engagement in video calls.

A company's culture is at the forefront of every decision. If you want to attract and retain top talent, constantly work on your culture so you can walk the walk and not just talk the talk - states Ross Jardine, CEO and Founder of Architus. Showcase not only the growth opportunities or day-to-day tasks but paint the picture of what it's like to belong to your team.

In this episode, Pedro Henriques, CEO and Founder at Bridge In shares a few recruitment failures and talks about how important it is not to force a match between an employee and a company. Sometimes it's better to let people go in a kind way and then find them thriving someplace else.

In this episode, Vitor Soares, CEO at Tap My Back talks about interns and what they should bring to the table. It's hard to make up your mind and to know exactly what your career aspirations are while young, but one must know how an internship can help one grow and develop.

In this episode, Afonso Pinheiro shares the 3 hiring failures that he faced during different stages of his career. Why the Portuguese market is more open than Spanish, the importance of language and culture in business, and why is it critical to learn from people with international mindsets - all in this episode.

Onboarding begins with the first interview - you present your vision, culture and see if both parties are fully aligned. As Pedro Pinho Veloso, CEO and Founder at Near Partner says, they had quite a few near misses, when having doubts proved to be a bright red flag for hiring somebody. Not faking on social media, managing your company's image right, and retaining people - this and more on this episode.

The 21st episode of Startup Recruitment Failures brings us to Portugal, where we'll talk with the local startup founders. Mindaugas, CEO, Co-Founder at Coho and an ex-recruiter, will share his insights into the startup recruitment process. He's convinced, that the worst mistake is not carving out the time for the recruitment process while being a hiring manager.

Interviewing process is a theater, states Olegas, Engineering Manager at Meta. Candidate can dress the part and act as described by the script. If you know your role well enough, you can easily fake even passion or approach to diversity. Since diversity is vital not only for the team's mental health but also for business, being objective and searching for historical signals can help to identify the impostor.

Turing College is the first Lithuanian company backed by Y Combinator, at the moment having students from 20 countries. In this episode, Benas Šidlauskas, Co-Founder and Chief Business Development Officer shares how Turing College developed and encountered a few tricky hiring failures, and talks about the importance of in-depth screening and having insightful data about the candidate.

Even before the pandemic, MailerLite practiced a fully remote way of working. Until now they think it's the best way to work and cooperate within your team. In this episode, Ilma Tiki, the CEO, and Co-Founder at the Remote Company (the COO at MailerLite) shares her insights on hiring - proceeding with selection using writing tasks, not falling for a candidate's positivity, and making sure your company is inclusive.

Revolut is conquering the world - currently having almost 6,000 people employed. Andrius Biceika has been a part of this incredible journey for six years. In this episode, he shares tips and tricks on hiring, talks about the importance of the probation period, and choosing the right questions for filtering that perfect match for your startup.

Hostinger can be proud of more than 1,000 employees and offices successfully established abroad. In this episode, Arnas Stuopelis, CEO at Hostinger, shares his experience on hiring decision-making, dealing with a pathological liar in the workplace, and staying true to yourself in times of emotional farewells.

Do everything that it takes to find a hidden, talented hire. Fight your internal, unconscious biases, go through hundreds of applications if needed, and make sure you have a diverse talent pool. These are only a few pieces of advice from the Ex-Director of Product at Shopify, Andrius Šlimas. From a small team in Lithuania to being a part of a massive company - learn from one of our inspiring stories.

Building the team is like making soup: each ingredient affects the taste, quality, and consistency of the final result - just how a new hire can change the overall vibe of a team. That's why Linas Armalys, CEO at Noviti Finance advises on starting a business with people you trust completely and have an emotional glue with.

Do you know how hard it is to build a company of 2000 employees and deal with the issues on the way? In this episode, Jonas Karklys, Co-Founder a NordVPN, talks about the difficulties of scaling internationally and shares some tips on how to overcome them. There will be perseverance and hustling involved, but success will be yours - keep pushing!

If there is one thing that people should know about startups, it's the culture and attitude. This is what matters the most - says Julius, CEO at Cloudvisor. We can gain experience and learn new skills, but changing the approach and mindset is a tough task. Listen or read more about how hiring less skilled colleagues could benefit your startup growth and why you need to experiment in the early stage of business.

In this podcast, Marius, Co-Founder at Orbio, shares his personal approach to the situations that happened in the past and advices on how to not get attached to failures personally. Listening to his gut feeling and taking risks is an integral part of success. You'll hear about the right attitude towards dealing with setbacks and how he navigated several difficult situations throughout the life of Orbio.

How to deal with a complex, antagonistic, or misaligned employee? Strong feedback process, good knowledge of labor law, and relying on hard data instead of playing an opinion game - that’s only a few of the tips Rimante, COO at Omnisend, gave. Omnisend suggests how to remain strong and standing when facing a disturbance within a team caused by one person - listen or read on Startup Recruitment Failures podcast.

In the early stage of business, one needs to wear many hats - Egle Tumenaite, CEO & Co-Founder at CornerCase Technologies remembers these days were a bit overwhelming. She shares her insights about growing a company from scratch - encountering some tricky situations and various obstacles. Which, she says, is inevitable to make massive progress in the long run. Entering an unfamiliar market with a recruiter from a different sector, competing for IT specialists and their attention, contributing to the local market, and much much more - listen or read on Startup Recruitment Failures podcast.

Kilo Health culture is exactly what a lot of startups are seeking nowadays. Being the second fastest growing company in Europe, Kilo Health must have an exceptional team built. Ugne Civile - Talent Acquisition Partner at Kilo Health -  provides us with a better understanding of what it feels like to belong to Kilo Health, the importance of cultural fit, homework for a candidate and following your emotion, when in doubt.

Whatagraph can be proud of its wide diversity - having people of 20 different nationalities and coming from all religious backgrounds. Justas Malinauskas - CEO & Co-Founder has been with Whatagraph since the very beginning. In the process of hiring more than 100 people, he learned a lot. In this episode, Justas shares some thoughts on navigating the company's culture, having an open-door policy, the importance of diversity, and hiring those who do not follow the rules set in stone.

When you are a young bootstrapped startup, you cannot afford a C-level manager for sales. So you hire juniors and expect them to grow. CoinGate Co-Founder Dmitrijus reflects on how this strategy backfired and shares valuable insights from this experience.

Vinted is a second-hand clothing marketplace valued at over a cool billion (the first unicorn in Lithuania - yay!). Mindaugas joined 10 years ago as employee #13, and now he leads a team of 400 engineers. What a ride! He shares about a Senior Manager who had a very strong background, but just couldn't thrive at Vinted.

BitDegree recently raised a $1M investment led by Taizo Son, the younger brother of Masayoshi Son of Softbank. Danielius shares stories about the loss of a good CTO candidate, friction when working in an international team, and challenges facing an exodus of 10 people after changing the company’s direction.

It seems so obvious: when you hire, you need to invest in onboarding. However, we often tend to forget what is obvious and expect new employees to join the team and start delivering.

SurfShark Founder & CEO Vytautas Kaziukonis talks about relying more on procedures rather than the gut when hiring people and shares an amusing story about a Head of Sales who could not sell because of a basic skill missing that nobody checked for.