SingleSprout

50% of candidates see vague job descriptions as a major red flag (Talivity). I'd include emails, linkedin messages, and texts in that as well. Here's what actually matters: Collaboration: Who will they work with daily? The team's background, how dynamic the team is, what cross-functional means. Individual Goals: What problems will this role solve? Showcase how their work impacts the company/customers directly. Define Team Success: What milestones will show the company has beaten the next level in the next 6-12 months? Even in startups, "clarity is kindness" (Brené Brown). Yes, startups are often ambiguous, but complete lack of structure is not hot and you will lose out attracting the best talent.

You’re losing top engineering talent because your 1st round interview isn’t bringing the real challenges to light. Why? If you’re not showcasing the complexity and significance of the work, top engineers won’t see the value in joining your team. Elon Musk: “The engineers I know are motivated by solving hard problems. They want to change the world, and they want to work on things that are meaningful.” Jeff Bezos: “The best engineers… think like scientists, but are builders at heart. They’re drawn to the hardest problems to crack.” If your 1st round interview doesn't have these, you're probably missing out: - Introduce a real, high-level technical challenge your team faces, then go deeper, and deeper. Ask, “How would you approach this?” - Show how solving these challenges supports cross-team success and product goals. - Be clear on what ownership on these projects looks like and how it empowers the employee, the team, the product, and the customer. - Share a big company problem and ask, “What excites you about solving something like this?” Visualization is a secret power in recruiting. Top engineers are like elite mountain climbers... they’re looking for challenging peaks. The harder the route (and smarter the team), the stronger their drive to reach the summit.

"The relationships that start with obsession often end with, ‘Who am I even with?’" Founders, hiring can feel the same way. You want “missionaries” who are all-in, but if you’re offering under 1% equity, is that always realistic? Harvard Business Review found that employees with steady, moderate engagement stick around longer and perform better than those who start strong, but burn out fast. Here’s the reality: Interest scales, excitement usually doesn’t. Candidates who are genuinely interested: ??Come prepared, ask strategic questions, and think long-term. ??Bring a consistent drive to learn and contribute, less short-term highs and lows. ??Care about the mission, but don’t need to be fanatical. Pro Tip: Look back at your most productive employees with 1+ years at the company. What was their temperament during the interview? Why did they join? You might find steady interest, not fanaticism, is the real driver of long-term success. Pass this to your hiring team and see the difference in retention and performance.

Happy Sproutiversary to Lauren (Greenberg) Churba, Esq. We’re excited to see what the future holds and to celebrate many more milestones with you!?

Huge congratulations to Luke Hudelson for his promotion to Senior Recruiting Manager. "Luke's dedication has shown over the years and has made a true difference. We are excited to see how you continue to impact SingleSprout in your new role." ??

How do you know if your hiring partner is truly driving results? In our recent company survey, Seed, Series A, and growth-stage companies backed by top investors?like Kleiner Perkins, General Catalyst, First Round Capital, Gokul Rajaram, Y Combinator, and more, rated us?9s and 10s. Here are just a few examples: ?? Series A (Kleiner Perkins-backed): "We worked with multiple agencies, but SingleSprout was the only one that stuck with us, continuously delivering high-quality candidates while others gave up. Hiring is a journey, and SingleSprout has been there every step of the way."?(10/10) ???Seed (General Catalyst-backed): "We hired just 1 engineer in 2 years with another firm. After switching to SingleSprout, we hired 2 engineers in 2 months. Their candidate quality blew us away, and we’re now opening more roles."?(10/10) ???Seed (Gokul Rajaram-backed startup): "Even as we became more selective and slowed down, SingleSprout continued to provide high-quality candidates. As a contingent partner, they’ve been incredibly impressive at keeping talent flowing." (10/10) ???Growth Stage (First Round Capital-backed): "SingleSprout iterated on our feedback consistently. We could feel their attention to detail improve as the partnership developed. They've made a significant impact on our hiring process."?(10/10) ???Series A (YC-backed): "Your candidates are hands down the best we’ve seen. We’ve worked with multiple agencies, but SingleSprout consistently delivered higher-quality talent than anyone else."?(9/10) If your recruiting partner isn’t raising the bar like this, it’s time to evaluate what’s holding you back from top talent.

We asked candidates: What moment in the interview process made you feel like a company was "the one?" The data might come as a surprise. Here’s what we found: 55% of candidates focused on culture - specifically?transparency,?team dynamics, and?human connection. ???Transparency: Candidates want clear feedback on both technical and cultural fit.“ After every round, I knew exactly how I fit with the team - beyond just my skills.” ???Team Dynamics: It’s not enough to talk about culture. Candidates want to see how teams collaborate, tackle problems, and grow. “Watching the team address a project failure openly made me trust this was the right place for me.” ???Human Connection: Candidates value real, meaningful interactions. Meeting future teammates, seeing how they communicate, and building a personal connection can make a huge difference in the decision-making process. "When I connected with my future colleagues, it felt genuine, and I could see myself working with them every day." Not to be ignored is the 45% of candidates that were influenced by other factors like technical fit, compensation, and logistics. Ignoring these could mean losing top talent. Takeaway: Don’t just talk about culture - show it. With 55% of candidates focused on culture and human connection, and the rest weighing factors like compensation and role alignment, every part of your process matters. Candidates are making decisions faster than ever - if you’re not showing who you are, someone else is.

We had an 8.4/10 on our most recent Client NPS survey. Here's what stood out as the most prevalent feedback: 1. 48% of responses mentioned the quality and quantity of candidates setting SingleSprout apart. Internally, this is a priority we are orienting our team to -- Identifying the BEST candidates and as many of them as possible. Several reviews mentioned that they had worked with other recruiting agencies prior to SingleSprout with little success. It's truly the fundamentals of a recruiting relationship (quality top of funnel candidates) that makes all the difference, and we will continue to push our team in this area. 2. 39% of responses commended our team's communication throughout the process. The hiring process has a lot of moving parts, and ensuring that everyone is on the same page is EXTREMELY important. Whether it's a evening phone call to squeeze the offer in before the weekend, or daily Slack messages to provide consistent updates, clients appreciate our approach to relationship management. 3. 36% of companies said that startup experience was a non-negotiable. FAANG companies just don't cut it for the needs of early startups. These companies are looking for someone who has done this before and is comfortable in the early-stage environment. This goes back to point 1 on training our team to identify these A+ candidates. It's becoming increasingly important to match candidate experience with client expectations.?

Tech hiring is picking up ?? and that means companies must move FAST to secure the best talent plus job-seekers must make themselves stand out amongst the competition. ?? The question is... how does a company decide who is worth a first call vs who is not? ? By looking for these attributes on a resume/LinkedIn profile: ? ?? Measurable KPIs: Candidates who emphasize how they made or saved the company money are a huge plus. Business acumen is more important than ever! ??Career Advancement: Showcasing promotions, leadership roles, or increased responsibilities (official or unofficial) indicates that a candidate is trusted by leadership and those around them. ?? High-Growth Experience: Candidates highlighting that they have seen significant changes within a company (team size, user adoption, revenue, acquisitions, etc) are seen to be more dynamic and adaptable to changes. Those hiring + job-seekers: what else has worked for you to stand out amongst the competition? #vcstartups #techhiring #foundingengineer

Working with a client that asked us to also work on 3 founding infra engineer roles -- I happily declined and recommended Natan ?? Fisher and our friends over at SingleSprout. Our focus at Right Hand Talent is on the Chief of Staff role, and we're increasingly taking on and placing senior level roles like SVP of Ops, COO, and Head of Finance. We're laser-focused on roles where we bring the most value and where our expertise is relied upon, and do right by our clients in recommending others who do the same. If you're scaling your product & eng team and need sharp, targeted talent solutions, I can't recommend SingleSprout enough! : ) #chiefofstaff #recruiting