Don't fall in love with the pretty resume
Just because they crushed it at Paycom, doesn’t mean they’ll crush it at your startup.
& just because they can build the engine at a startup doesn’t mean they’re ready to lead at your big company.
We've seen this play out with hiring managers time and time again:
They fall in love with the resume.
The brand name experience.
The job title.
But they don't dig into if this person actually possesses the skills needed for the role.
When expectations aren't aligned, even top talent can flop
Why?
5 reasons we see companies missing on this:
- Builder vs specialist
- At larger companies, roles are often more narrow, processes are in place, there's lots of support. In a startup, you need someone who has the ability to fly the plane while also building the plane. The required experience looks different.
- Wrong candidate profile
- Startups often assume someone who’s led a team will naturally thrive as a founding hire. But what you really need is someone who can roll up their sleeves and do the work. Leadership and execution are different skill sets, and your first hire needs to be an executor, not just someone who’s focused on strategy or managing.
- Big brand backing
- Let’s be honest, selling for a brand everyone knows is a different world from selling a company no one’s heard of. What worked at a big brand doesn’t typically translate to a blank slate startup(& vice versa).
- Risk of burnout
- When you hire a leader to go back to an IC role, they take a step back, holding onto the promise of the role moving into a leadership role. We’ve seen this lead to burnout in the role over time. Hire for the role at hand, not what the role might become.
- VP of marketing ≠ VP of marketing
- Titles can be misleading. A VP of marketing at a big logo company might manage 5+ teams. At an early-stage company, that same title might mean building and executing everything from scratch, solo. Same title, very different reality.
Getting crystal clear on what success looks like in this role - before you start the search - will help you avoid the resume trap.
The right hire isn't always the one with the shiniest resume.
Not sure what kind of candidate your role actually needs?
We can help you nail that so you don’t waste time on the wrong candidates.
Reach out here or directly to your Account Manager.
